Residence permits for Sweden are available on the black market for just EUR 2,000, which would then allow the buyer to travel freely across Europe.
Swedish radio network Sverigies Radio (SR) announced the news which was later reported in The Local.
The Swedish residence permits that are available on the black market are the same design sticker as those issued to permanent residence recipients with the same watermarks and identical seals. Once received, the sticker is then fastened into a passport visa section together with the picture and name of the recipient. However, the Swedish Migration Board claims that this fastening process can only be done by them.
According to the report, the stickers are purchased through the black market and then sent on to Greece where associates use a complex printing and fastening machine comparable to that used by the Migration Board.
SR also reports that some refugees who are hiding within Sweden confirmed that they have also been able to buy the residence permit stickers. One Iraqi man in Jonkoping claimed that he had bought two such stickers with the aim of allowing family members to travel to Europe to seek asylum.
It is not clear if the residency stickers that are available via the black market are originals or not. The seller has naturally claimed that the stickers are authentic whilst the Migration Board has advised that they have no reports of any missing stock or thefts.