As of March 1, asylum requests will mostly be processed in new federal asylum seekers’ centres, rather than in the cantons. Around 80% of the accommodation capacity is now ready, the justice ministry said in a press releaseExternal link on Thursday.
Asylum seekers will only be distributed among the cantons if further investigations are necessary. These extended procedures are to be concluded within one year, according to the new legal provisions.
Free legal advice for asylum seekers has been included in the reforms in an attempt to ensure that procedures are still fair, despite being faster.
The justice ministry says the new procedures will “make it possible to integrate recognised refugees and temporarily admitted persons more quickly – but also to return more quickly those persons who are not dependent on Swiss protection”.
It says a pilot test in Zurich since 2014 has shortened asylum procedures by a third. The number of complaints has also fallen by a third and three times as many asylum seekers have returned to their country voluntarily.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
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Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
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Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
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2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
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The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
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More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
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Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
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Accelerated asylum procedures to take effect in 2019
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A revised order on the operation of federal asylum centres, which now sets a maximum stay of 140 days, will enter into force on March 1.
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A total of 15,255 applications were submitted, which represents the lowest level in 11 years, Gattiker told the Blick newspaperExternal link. In 2017, SEMExternal link received 18,088 asylum applications, which was already a drop of one third from a peak in 2016. However, the fall in asylum seeker numbers is no cause for celebration, according…
Asylum centre standards largely up to par, report finds
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Conditions in Swiss asylum centres generally conform to fundamental rights standards, the national torture prevention commission has found.
Switzerland urged to be more flexible on vulnerable refugees
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Switzerland is being urged to stop sending vulnerable asylum seekers back to Italy so long as adequate reception for them is not guaranteed there.
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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.