Switzerland’s naturalisation policy may change after a court ruling this week, reported SRF. On Wednesday, the Federal Supreme Court sided with a Turkish man whose citizenship application had been left in limbo for five years by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) over a traffic offence committed during his application process. SEM had treated the […]
Swiss government sets out curbs on free movement
This week, the Federal Council unveiled criteria that could allow Switzerland to temporarily limit the free movement of persons from the European Union and EFTA countries, reported RTS. The work follows the newly negotiated safeguard clause, part of the broader framework governing Swiss–EU bilateral relations. Under the plan, the government will monitor a set of […]
Germany tightening borders raises ire in Switzerland
This week, Germany’s new government announced a sharp tightening of its immigration policy, reported RTS. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt declared that most undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, would be denied entry, with the exception of vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women. The plan also includes expanded border controls. Switzerland, which shares […]
Leaving Switzerland – the other side of the migration story
Switzerland is often seen as a magnet for foreigners. Far less attention is paid to the large number that leave every year. In a typical year, roughly 90,000 foreign nationals leave, according to new data obtained by swissinfo.ch. Between 2013 and 2022, net migration averaged more than 60,000 a year, accounting for 85% of Switzerland’s […]
Reports of racist incidents up nearly 40% in Switzerland
Switzerland recorded 1,211 cases of racial discrimination in 2024, an increase of 335 compared with the previous year, according to a report published by the country’s network of anti-racism centres. The 40% annual rise is the steepest in recent years. Most incidents occurred in schools and the number of reported cases has been climbing steadily […]
10% of Swiss residence permits could be fraudulently issued
Across Switzerland, authorities are grappling with a sharp rise in forged identity documents and residence permit fraud. Investigators in Neuchâtel have uncovered a criminal network with roots in Turkey, allegedly responsible for distributing counterfeit European passports and IDs to individuals who use them to apply for residence permits to work illegally in local restaurants. So […]
Pensioners versus tenants: Zurich protests and Switzerland’s rental dilemma
Thousands took to the streets of Zurich recently to demand more affordable housing—and to air their frustration with an unlikely target: pension funds, reported SRF. Their complaint is not new but increasingly urgent. Switzerland’s pension funds are major players in the residential property market, owning around 44% of rental apartments nationwide—a sharp increase from just […]
The Swiss who lost their nationality
Swiss citizenship is typically for life, except in rare cases where it was obtained fraudulently or if an individual with another nationality is deemed to seriously harm the interests and reputation of Switzerland and in doing so compromise the nation’s security – this happened in 2019 for the first time. However, retaining Swiss citizenship was […]
EU migration pact opposed by Switzerland’s left and right
The Pact on Migration and Asylum, a new EU plan to manage migration agreed upon by EU countries last year and officially endorsed by Switzerland’s executive last week, faces resistance from both the left and the right, RTS reported. The pact requires more asylum applications to be processed in the countries where migrants first arrive […]
Medical association raises alarm about the number of foreign doctors in Switzerland
The number of medical professionals in Switzerland rose by 3.7% in 2024. However, the proportion of foreign doctors working in the country continues to increase, reaching 41.3% of all doctors in 2024. Relying so heavily on foreign medical professionals is risky, according to a representative of a medical association who spoke to SRF. In 2003, […]
