The centre will receive its first residents from the start of May
Keystone
The sixth federal asylum centre began operations on Saturday in Bern, and Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga was there to mark the opening.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The new centre is located in an old hospital, the Bern Zieglerspital, which was closed last year due to restructuring. The site will be used as a reception and processing centre. Service at the site is restricted to eight years.
At first 150 people will stay at the centre, later up to 350 could be given accommodation there. Building works required to provide the extra beds will be completed in the summer of 2017. Up until the canton can operate its own asylum centre in a different building on the hospital site with space for 200 asylum seekers.
Barbara Büschi, deputy director of the state secretariat for migration said the size of the former hospital meant that it made sense economically and it was well connected from a transport perspective. “Detached houses for one family, and flats are out of the question. That would be inefficient. And expropriation is nonsense, that would be a poor prerequisite for integrating a centre into an area.”
Justice Minister Sommaruga went on a tour of the former hospital on Saturday. She underlined the importance of more than 200 local volunteers who will help with the asylum seekers at the centre. Those seeking asylum will stay at the federal centre for a maximum of 90 days before moving out to accommodation provided by different cantons if needed.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Why Switzerland takes asylum seekers’ assets
This content was published on
Swiss law states that asylum seekers have to disclose their assets. According to certain criteria – such as the amount and/or lack of proof of the origin of the assets – the authorities can demand that it be handed over. According to Léa Wertheimer from the State Secretariat for Migration, the law says that asylum…
This content was published on
Closing borders and providing space in private homes are both ideas that have been raised for how to deal with an influx of asylum seekers to Switzerland. The younger generation has its own ideas on the matter, but their reactions can vary depending on how they are asked.
This content was published on
As is happening in other countries, grassroots organisations are doing their part to help refugees or migrants arriving in European countries. In Lausanne, a group of activists have taken over an abandoned school so refugees would have a roof over their head. City authorities opposed the action and have filed a criminal complaint. In Geneva…
This content was published on
After months of delay, a project to house asylum seekers with Swiss families has finally got off the ground. Around 300 families have offered to share their roofs. swissinfo.ch visited the first case near Morges to find out more.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.