Sweden to make asylum seekers live in centres in further tightening of rules

STOCKHOLM, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Sweden's centre-right government said on Friday it planned to make all asylum seekers live in migrant reception centres while their cases are processed, in a further tightening of immigration regulations.

People will have to prove that they have moved to the centres, or risk losing their benefits, and also agree to travel restrictions, Migration Minister Johan Forssell told reporters.

Successive governments have tightened immigration policies since 2015 when around 160,000 asylum seekers sought refuge in Sweden. The issue has driven the rise of anti-immigration parties across Europe and is likely to be a key factor in Sweden's parliamentary elections in September.

"People who are in the system will have to live with the Migration Agency ... I want to stress that these aren't prisons," Forssell said.

He said the current law, which allows asylum seekers to choose their own living arrangements, had led to problems with overcrowding, social exclusion and made it easier for people to stay in Sweden illegally.

The number of asylum applications had dropped to around 10,000 by 2024.

But the current minority coalition, backed by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, says even more needs to be done to cut numbers coming to Sweden.

It has blamed decades of what it sees as unrestricted immigration for a surge in gang crime in recent years.

Under the new proposal, which the government hopes will come into force in October, asylum seekers who fail to comply could also have their applications automatically withdrawn.

People whose cases have been rejected would also have to register their whereabouts on a regular basis to prevent them going underground.

(Reporting by Simon Johnson; Editing by Andrew Heavens)