Hundreds of refugees have spent this week trying to catch trains, hitch lifts and even walk from Denmark to Sweden. The Local looks into why so many new arrivals would rather seek asylum north of the famous Öresund bridge.
1. It's a numbers game
Put simply, Sweden takes in more asylum seekers per capita than any other EU nation, while Denmark has a track record for adopting some of the toughest immigration policies in Europe.

In 2014 Sweden offered protection to 33,025 people who applied for asylum, while Denmark gave residence permits to 6,104 refugees, a much lower figure as a proportion of its population. However, Denmark was the EU's fifth largest recipient of asylum seekers per capita last year.

Around 9.5 million live in Sweden while there are 5.6 million in Denmark.

2. Sweden offers permanent residency to all Syrian arrivals

Refugees fleeing the violence in Syria make up the largest proportion of people seeking asylum across Europe and in 2013 Sweden became the first country in Europe to rule that all refugees from the war-torn nation would be granted permanent residency in the light of the worsening conflict.

Previously, around half of Syrian asylum seekers had been granted permanent residency, with the remaining half receiving three-year residence permits.

So far no other European country has followed Sweden's lead. Denmark introduced temporary one-year permits for Syrian refugees last year with the stated intention of sending them back home "as soon as conditions improve" in the war-ravaged country.

3. Many refugees already have family in Sweden

Given the huge numbers of Syrians who have already been given protection in Sweden (16,785 in 2014 alone), it is unsurprising that many refugees would prefer to set up home close to friends and family.
Sweden offers residency permits to immediate family members of those already granted asylum (husband, wife, partner and children - under the age of 18).

Last year, Denmark announced it would only allow for family reunifications if a refugee's initial one-year residency permit was renewed, a move heavily criticized by the United Nations Refugee Agency and others.

4. Sweden offers strong social benefits for refugees

Asylum seekers are offered immediate emergency accommodation on arrival in Sweden before being relocated to temporary housing. Single adults are given a daily benefit of 71 Swedish kronor per day (2,159 kronor or $256 per month), with more available for those with families.

Those granted asylum are then given help finding accommodation, are entitled to free Swedish for Immigrants lessons and may also be offered an 'introduction benefit' from Arbetsförmedlingen, Sweden's Employment Agency, giving them an income of 6,468 Swedish kronor per month ($769) while they search for work.

Denmark also offers social benefits and free language lessons for immigrants. But while it is generally more expensive to live in Denmark than in Sweden, the Danish government has recently slashed the amount of so-called 'integration' money it gives to new arrivals by 45 percent to 5,945 Danish kroner ($891) for a a single adult with no children. This too was subject to criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian organizations.

5. Global reputation

Sweden has an international image of openness and tolerance. And while the anti-immigration Sweden Democrat party is growing in popularity, the current government is a Social Democrat-Green coalition strongly in favour of helping refugees.

In recent months lengthening waiting times for asylum claims to be processed have hit the headlines and a Syrian comic caused a stir after warning that Sweden might not offer everything immigrants hoped for. But the country has cemented its reputation in recent weeks, with repeated calls by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for Swedes to support refugees and for other European nations to follow his country's lead.

By contrast, Denmark's new single-party government is led by the right-of-centre Venstre, which needs the support of the anti-immigration Danish People's Party to push its agendas through parliament. The government recently launched an information campaign in foreign newspapers to deter refugees from setting foot on Danish soil. Even the country's former centre-left government headed by Helle Thorning-Schmidt touted a hard-line approach to refugees and immigrants, a record that may come back to haunt Thorning-Schmidt as she jockeys for the position of UN High Commissioner for Refugees.


http://www.thelocal.se/20150910/why-do-refugees-prefer-sweden-to-denmark

Yes it is true Sweden has one of best packages for refugees in Europe but these Syrians may upturn that,their numbers are just massive,pouring in everyday may outstrech the niceness of the Swedish, if na you nko?another fallout of this is that black Africans may start recieving the short end especially those that their asylum application have not been granted yet.expect increased deportations of illegal black Africans,I just pray our African brothers are not made scapegoats