The number of incidents of discrimination reported in Switzerland jumped 24% to 876 cases in 2023, according to a report published by a human rights organisation helping victims of harassment and discrimination. Of the total, roughly half involved expressions of discrimination and the rest discriminatory treatment. The most common place these events occured was at […]
Swiss commission wants asylum seekers deported to third country
An idea put forward by the FDP/PLR to have certain rejected asylum seekers sent to a country other than the one they came from found support in a parliamentary commission this week, reported SRF. The comission voted 14 to 11 in favour of the idea. Normally, asylum seekers who have their applications rejected are returned […]
French on the rise in Switzerland’s bilingual cities
Switzerland has three main languages, and liguistic divides run through some cities such as Biel/Biennes and Freiburg/Fribourg. In Swiss cities in general, French is on the rise. In bilingual cities where some residents speak French at home and others German, French is gaining ground fast, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). There […]
Switzerland struggles to get Ukrainian refugees working
The first Ukrainian refugees arrived in Switzerland in early 2022. Roughly two years on only 23% are working. This week, the federal government said it wants to get this percentage to 40% by the end of the year, reported SRF. The benefits of integrating refugees into the workforce are clear. But finding work is not […]
Swiss court makes asylum harder for Afghan refugee women
Since western forces withdrew from Afghanistan life has become increasingly difficult many living there, especially women, who are subjected to a strict dress code and restrictive rules that prevent them from studying, working and travelling alone. These restrictions make it very difficult for women to travel. Asylum in Switzerland can only be sought on arrival, […]
Swiss cantons with the highest population growth
By the end of 2023, Switzerland’s population had swelled by 145,000 to 8.96 million, according to figures published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. The recent annual rise in numbers (+1.6%) was exceptionally high because of the roughly 50,000 Ukrainians who were counted as residents for the first time in 2023. The population […]
Swiss immigration up sharply in 2023
In 2023, 98,851 more people moved to Switzerland than left, according to data from Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The net number of arrivals in Switzerland in 2023, exceeded the number in 2022 by 21.5%. A total of 181,553 people immigrated to Switzerland, of which 71.9% came from an EU or EFTA member state. Immigration […]
Man shot dead during hostage incident in Switzerland
On 8 February 2023, a man armed with an axe, a hammer and a knife held 13 people hostage on a train near the Swiss town of Yverdon-les-Bains, reported RTS. The man, an asylum seeker from Iran, was initially tasered by police as he ran towards them armed. After failing to stop he was fatally […]
Swiss government launches plan to stop rising rents
Switzerland, where only 36% of the population own their homes, is sometimes referred to as a nation of renters. So when rents rise, as they have recently, the subject becomes political. On Wednesday, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced that it was looking for ways to temper short term rent increases. Across Switzerland, 64% of the population […]
Switzerland experimenting with 24 hour asylum decisions
To reduce the pressure on an overloaded asylum system Switzerland has started a pilot system to processes certain asylum requests within 24 hours, reported RTS. The fast-track asylum process will be tested on groups of asylum seekers with low rates of success, in particular those arriving from the North African nations of Algeria, Libya, Morocco […]
