Switzerland to close nine asylum centres as fewer people arrive than expected
Government closes nine temporary federal asylum centres by the beginning of March.
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Listening: Switzerland to close nine asylum centres as fewer people arrive than expected
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is closing nine temporary federal asylum centres across Switzerland with a total of 1,735 accommodation places by the beginning of March. The government expects to save tens of millions of francs by closing the infrastructure.
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Bund schliesst bis Anfang März neun temporäre Bundesasylzentren
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The SEM explained on Tuesday in response to a query from the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA that this would amount to around CHF40 million ($46 million) per year.
The SEM justifies the closures with the lower-than-expected asylum numbers this autumn. According to the SEM, 23% fewer applications were submitted in August than in the previous year, and 40% fewer in September.
The occupancy rate of the federal asylum centres is currently 51% throughout Switzerland. The situation on the migration routes to Western Europe does not indicate a sharp increase in the coming months.
The government will begin closing the accommodation facilities from the end of January 2025, which will affect around 200 employees of the service providers mandated by the SEM in the federal asylum centres, it added. How many of them will continue to be employed at other locations is still being examined.
The affected accommodation facilities are located in Dübendorf in the city of Zurich, in Eigenthal (canton Lucerne), Bremgarten (Aargau), Allschwil (Basel Country), Steckborn (Thurgau), Beringen (Schaffhausen) as well as in Bure (Jura) and Plan-les-Ouates (Geneva).
Following the closure of the nine temporary locations, the SEM will have around 7,000 places available to accommodate asylum and protection seekers from the beginning of March.
However, in the event of a sudden, sharp increase in asylum applications, this number could be “increased again depending on requirements” in cooperation with the army and the cantons. The SEM is constantly monitoring the situation.
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