A safe haven

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Migrant challenges Switzerland prepares for a wave of migration

Switzerland is strengthening the police on its southern border, anticipating a summer increase in migrants who want to reach Germany and northern ...

Tama's tales Me and my mum

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to parents from Sri Lanka. She speaks with her mother who explains what it was like to leave her home country.

Success story From refugee to neurobiologist

Julie Hunt

Abdurahman Mohamad Mah arrived in Switzerland as a refugee at the age of six. Now he is a neurobiologist. This is his story.

The political debate

Crowd innovation Vote on fresh ideas to tackle immigration policy

Urs Geiser

How to break a perceived stalemate in Switzerland’s immigration policy? More than 100 ideas gathered in a crowd-sourcing project are awaiting the ...

Slow return Sending rejected asylum seekers home

When a request for asylum is rejected, the applicant is supposed to leave the country straight away. Not everybody does, and there are vast ...

The Mediterranean Sea: a mass grave The struggle to identify drowned migrants

Stefania Summermatter

Three years after the migrant boat tragedy in Lampedusa, in which 366 people drowned, relatives are still trying to identify dead bodies to ...

Fact check Are most asylum seekers economic migrants?

Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi with input from Duc-Quang Nguyen and Stefania Summermatter

As voters prepare to vote on reforms to Switzerland’s asylum law on June 5, the conservative right Swiss People’s Party has insisted that most ...

Working visit Justice minister defends asylum reforms as EU leader takes interest

Europe has taken an interest in Switzerland’s asylum reforms, with a European Union leader examining the system which will soon put to a vote ...

Workplace integration Apprenticeships for refugees get a reboot

Veronica DeVore

After testing the waters a decade ago, Switzerland wants to give refugees access to its apprenticeship system with a new national initiative.

Year in review 2015: when the wave of migrants reached Europe

Duc-Quang Nguyen and Stefania Summermatter

Which countries have been most affected by the influx of migrants and refugees? What impact would quotas have? The answers in a series of ...

See in other languages: 9

Asylum lottery Six graphs to understand the migration phenomenon

Duc-Quang Nguyen and Stefania Summermatter

Every day, thousands of refugees and migrants are crossing European borders, searching for protection or a better life. It is posing an ...

See in other languages: 9

Fleeing danger Asylum by the numbers

Europe has seen an influx of asylum seekers due to global political unrest, notably the Arab Spring. As the Swiss prepare to vote on stricter ...

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Focus

Property explainer
How long does it take to buy a Swiss home?

From coffee to street crossings
Twelve things that might surprise you while visiting ...

Melting ice
Glaciers in the Alps - before and after

Ice discovery
Mummified bodies found in Swiss glacier

Price comparison
Switzerland vs France – the shopping basket price challenge

in depth
Switzerland: How To

'Together'
Quiz app decodes daily life in Switzerland

in depth
Asylum in Switzerland - A safe haven

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