And yes, immigration and asylum are completely 2 different things. But for a small country like Sweden which revolves largely around citizen-generated tax revenue to make their style of government function, an influx of asylum seekers can have a big financial impact... amongst other impacts which I've read and heard about through the various media outlets and friends. Not sure what's considered the "poverty line" in Sweden, but a large influx of immigrants that come in below the poverty line, will have the same financial impact.