Rights group laments strict and inconsistent naturalisation process
The process to become Swiss has become too complex, preventing too many people from exercising their political rights, says the Swiss Observatory for Asylum and Foreigners Law. The group is calling for procedures to be simplified and made more consistent across cantons.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jdp
العربية
ar
مجموعة حقوقية تنتقد صرامة عملية التجنيس في سويسرا وعدم تناسقها
The naturalisation procedure in Switzerland is known as one of the most stringent in the world. In 2018 the government tightened the procedure, requiring applicants to have a C residence permit and demonstrate integration, including a written language test.
In a reportExternal link published on Tuesday, the observatory argues that this is excluding a large part of the population, many of whom were born in Switzerland or grew up in the country, from participating in democracy. About a quarter of the population residing in Switzerland don’t have a Swiss passport yet the naturalisation rate stands at around 2%, writes the NGO.
“There are still votes at community assemblies on naturalisation. In addition, the process is too complex and takes too long. It’s also too expensive,” says Noémi Weber, director of the observatory.
Different understandings
According to the State Secretariat for Migration, the number of people who became Swiss decreased significantly since changes to the Swiss citizenship law in 2018 from around 44,100 in 2018 to 25,600 in 2021.
More
More
Becoming Swiss: ‘Where do I sign?’
This content was published on
Swiss citizenship is highly sought after – and correspondingly hard to get. swissinfo.ch looks at how to get the naturalisation ball rolling.
The report includes various cases of citizenship applications being rejected on account of things like a single traffic violation or incorrectly guessing the name of the Alphorn, a traditional Swiss musical instrument.
“There are different understandings in the cantons and municipalities of what exactly local integration means, i.e. how connected someone has to be with their place of residence,” Barbara von Rütte, a legal expert from the University of Basel, told Swiss public television,External link SRF. In some areas, local citizens’ assemblies are still allowed to vote on naturalisation.
The observatory puts forward several recommendations including a simplified process for second-generation Swiss and the introduction of citizenship at birth. They also call for specialised bodies to undertake naturalisation interviews and an end to voting on naturalisation in local assemblies.
Pro-Palestine uni protests to be debated in Swiss parliament
This content was published on
The Swiss People’s Party says it will launch two postulates calling for clarifications about the recent student protests and occupations.
This content was published on
A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.
Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church numbers dropping in French-speaking Switzerland
This content was published on
As in German-speaking Switzerland, the number of members of the Reformed Church in French-speaking Switzerland is also declining.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
This content was published on
The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
This content was published on
Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
This content was published on
With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
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
Legal changes come into force in 2018
This content was published on
From January 1, 2018, getting a Swiss passport will become tougher but rules for adopting a child will become slightly easier.
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.