According to a study by the University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) undertaken between 2020 and 2022, there are large differences in homelessness between French-speaking Switzerland and the rest of the country. The study, which researched homelessness across Switzerland’s eight largest cities (Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Luzern, Lugano, St. Gallen and Zurich), identified […]
Swiss minister defends special treatment of Ukrainian refugees
Certain asylum seekers have reported disbelief, frustration and a sense of injustice upon seeing the integration and fast track visa measures offered to Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland. In response, Karin Keller-Sutter, Switzerland’s minister of police and justice, explained the differences in treatment to RTS. Recently, rumours of discontent among non-Ukrainian asylum seekers in Switzerland have […]
Ukrainians given less money than other refugees in Switzerland
Analysis by the newspaper SonntagsZeitung claims that Ukrainian refugees are sometimes given significantly less money by certain cantons than other refugees who end up in Switzerland, reports 20 Minutes. While Switzerland has put in place a fast track asylum process for Ukrainians, which quickly provides them with an S visa entitling them to work in […]
Swiss government issues special visa for Ukrainian refugees
On 11 March 2022, Switzerland’s government decided to issue special S visas from midnight, reported RTS. These visas will allow the holder to stay in Switzerland for a year and can be extended for longer if their safety is at risk. The S visas, something that has never been issued before, will allow employment, allow […]
Swiss fighters heading to Ukraine risk prison
Around 35 volunteers, including 3 Swiss citizens, have contacted the Ukrainian embassy in Switzerland about joining the war effort in Ukraine, reported 20 Minutes. However, Swiss citizens engaging in a foreign war risk up to three years in prison. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken of a 16,000 strong battalion of foreign volunteers and encouraged […]
Switzerland to donate 80 million francs to Ukraine
As the humanitarian crisis worsens in Ukraine, the Swiss government has agreed to send CHF 80 million in humanitarian aid to help those needing emergency help, reported RTS. According to Switzerland’s Federal Council, around 12 million people in Ukraine need emergency aid. Switzerland has already sent 500 tonnes of emergency supplies to Ukraine, Poland and […]
Over 16,000 Swiss households ready to accommodate Ukrainian refugees
This week, RTS reported that there were more than 16,000 Swiss households extending offers of accommodation to Ukrainian refugees. The number equates to around 40,000 beds. A number of Ukrainian refugees have already arrived in Switzerland, reported the broadcaster. 1,314 were reported to be housed in federal refugee centres where there are around 5,000 available […]
Half of French households near Swiss border work in Switzerland
Recently published statistics show that more than half of the residents in certain parts of France were employed in Switzerland in 2018. The data, published by INSEE, a French statistics agency, found that more than half of households in the communes du Genevois, Pays de Gex and Annemasse-Les Voirons, all regions bordering Switzerland, contained family […]
Few third-generation foreigners born in Switzerland becoming Swiss
In 2017, in a referendum, 60.4% of Swiss voters agreed to let third-generation residents apply for citizenship via a fast-track process, which was opened in February 2018. However, out of the roughly 25,000 third-generation residents qualifying, only 1,847 (7%) of them had naturalised by the end of 2020, according to a recent report published by a […]
Switzerland may be forced to leave Schengen warns Swiss minister
This week, Karin Keller-Sutter, Switzerland’s minister of police and justice, warned a gathering of EU ministers that Switzerland could be forced to leave the Schengen zone if a referendum scheduled for 15 May 2022 is successful, reported RTS. The Schengen zone, which now includes 28 states and allows passport-free movement across much of western Europe, […]
