Man unable to access repatriation grant due to banking restrictions

A 67-year-old Afghan man in Sweden cannot access his 350,000 SEK repatriation grant from the Migration Agency after the bank blocked withdrawals and transfers of the full amount, SVT reports.

Golahmad Jamili, who fled Afghanistan after two of his sons were killed, also cannot transfer the funds to his home country due to EU financial sanctions classifying it as a high-risk jurisdiction. Additionally, currency exchange services limit his ability to convert amounts exceeding 12,000 SEK.

As a result, Jamili is now homeless and unable to purchase a planned home in Afghanistan with the money.

Annika Hirvonen, migration policy spokesperson for the Green Party, called the situation “compromising for the government,” stating that large transfers under such reforms must align with existing regulations to prevent such outcomes.

Ludvig Aspling, migration policy spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats—the party behind the repatriation grant—acknowledged potential “teething problems” but described the issue as solvable. He suggested Jamili return the funds to the Migration Agency, which could then transfer them via the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) to access the money in Afghanistan.

Aspling added that the Migration Agency should have clarified that recipients should avoid depositing the grant in Swedish accounts and instead use IOM for disbursement upon arrival in their home country.