Rejected asylum-seekers return to Bosnia from Sweden
(SARAJEVO) - A group of 63 Bosnians who abused a visa-free travel regime returned Wednesday from Sweden after being denied asylum, state television reported.
The group arrived in Sarajevo from the southern Swedish town of Malmo. They are among 1,500 Bosnians who have requested asylum in Sweden since December 2010 when the European Union scrapped visas for Bosnians.
"Bosnia is in crisis, there is no work. I went there to request asylum or obtain residency," a young man told the FTV channel.
Bosnia's interior ministry said those who abused the visa-free regime would be banned from entering EU countries for several years.
All those who have been denied asylum in Sweden will be repatriated in next two months, FTV said.
Bosnia is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with the unemployment rate reaching more than 40 percent of its 3.3 million citizens.
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