It has now been five years since the refugee crisis in 2015 that shook Sweden and Europe. The reception culminated in some dramatic autumn months, when more than 80,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden in the course of two months. Almost 10,000 people a week, before the government introduced border controls in November.

A total of 163,456 people applied for asylum in Sweden during the year. Of these, 98,867 persons have been granted residence permits, of which just over 60 per cent have been granted permanent residence permits. It shows figures that the Migration Board has produced on behalf of Ekot.

According to statistics, two-thirds of those who have been quit are men and boys.

Largest group from Syria

The triggering factor for the refugee stream was the civil war in Syria, which is also visible in the statistics. 48 percent of those who have been granted a residence permit are Syrians. 21 percent have come from Afghanistan.

When Mikael Ribbenvik, Director General of the Migration Agency, looks in the rearview mirror, he thinks that the authority managed to meet the challenge well.

- We had desk lawyers standing in ports and at stations in yellow vests. We arranged 64,000 accommodation places during these months. We got everyone in the system, which was important, he tells Ekot.

Still affecting reception

Despite the fact that five years have passed, the work of the Migration Board is still affected by the crisis. Among other things, the authority has seen an increase in the number of citizenship cases.

- Since many people were granted residence permits during those years, this results in increases in applications for family reunification. And then, about five years later, there will also be an increase in the number of citizenship cases, says Mikael Ribbenvik to Ekot.