Refugee Council head criticises ‘hasty’ Swiss asylum procedures
The new system of accelerated asylum processing is leading to a focus on speed above all else, and with that, a decline in the quality of decisions, a refugee rights group has warned.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
العربية
ar
رئيسة منظمة سويسرية تنتقد “التسرّع” في إجراءات اللجوء
Miriam Behrens, the director of the non-governmental Swiss Refugee CouncilExternal link, said on Tuesday her organisation had seen a big jump in the amount of successful appeals by asylum seekers since the nationwide system was introduced in March 2019.
The fact that so many complaints raised by asylum seekers – against decisions made by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) – are being upheld by courts shows that there is an issue, she said in interviews with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) and Le Temps newspapers.
Before the reform was introduced, just 4.8% of appeals had been sent by the court back for further review, while in the first six months of the new system, the figure rose to 16.8%.
“Authorities are putting the focus on speeding up the process, to the detriment of quality and fairness,” Behrens said. And with more cases now being sent back to the SEM for further review, the effect is in fact counter-productive, she added.
Fairer, faster
The accelerated procedures, approved by voters in 2016, were introduced last year with the goal of shortening the time it takes to finish proceedings from an average of 280 days (in 2015) to 140 days. People who filed asylum requests were allocated to one of six national centres across the country, rather than being processed by cantonal authorities.
The idea is to avoid drawn-out procedures which keep asylum-seekers waiting for a decision for several years, without the possibility to work or integrate into society.
Authorities said that the new system would be fairer for everyone; the Swiss Refugee Council also supported the reform.
SEM director Mario Gattiker told the NZZ in a December interviewExternal link that the new rules were working well, and that many more asylum seekers were returning home voluntarily than before.
Behrens, however, says that the “over-ambitious” time goals of the SEM are leading to cases not being thoroughly enough analysed – especially complex cases, such as asylum seekers having fled torture or who are physically or mentally unwell.
These people do not reveal everything about themselves over the course of the first meeting, she said. “You need to gain their trust, which is not possible under the current tempo.”
The number of people seeking asylum in Switzerland fell to a 12-year low of 14,269 in 2019. Most asylum seekers (2,899) came from Eritrea, with Afghanistan (1,397), Turkey (1,287) and Syria (1,100) also featuring prominently among applicants.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
This content was published on
A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
This content was published on
The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
This content was published on
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
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
Speedier asylum process voted in
This content was published on
On Sunday, 66.8% of voters backed a legal amendment to reform asylum procedures, which was passed by parliament last year but challenged by the conservative right Swiss People’s Party. Nationwide turnout was 46%. Under the proposal, most asylum requests should be decided within 140 days of being submitted, including time for appeals – compared with…
This content was published on
Most asylum proceedings are now to be completed within 140 days in federal asylum seekers’ centres. This compares with an average of 280 days in 2015. The reform was approved by two-thirds of Swiss voters in spring 2016. + Read more about the 2016 vote on accelerated asylum procedures As of March 1, asylum…
This content was published on
The Swiss asylum policy was streamlined in last March to accelerate the procedure, but critics have raised serious objections.
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.