In 2021, nearly 37,000 people became Swiss, roughly 11% more than in 2020, according to data published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The largest contingent of newly minted Swiss citizens in 2021 were German, followed by Italians, citizens of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, French and Portuguese. Back in 2000, Italians […]
Ukrainian refugees struggling to find accommodation in Switzerland
Many of the 60,000 Ukrainian refugees arriving in Switzerland found accommodation in Swiss homes. Now more and more are seeking independent accommodation and are facing the same challenges faced by others arriving in Switzerland: vacant homes are rare and very expensive. In a typical year net migration into Switzerland is around 50,000. The number of […]
9% of Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland now working
By the beginning of August 2022 there were 57,376 Ukrainian refugees registered in Switzerland. Of the 33,379 people of working age among this group, 3,130 (9.4%) were working. The most common fields of employment were hotel and restaurant work (23%), planning, consulting and IT (17%), agriculture (8%), teaching (8%) and the service sector (6%). The […]
Switzerland unwelcoming to expats, shows survey
A survey of expats published on 12 July 2022 ranks Switzerland 43rd out of 52 nations on ease of settling in. The definition of an expat is based on the sample used in the Expat Insider 2022 survey. This group was 46 years old on average, more female (52%) than male (47%), most likely to […]
Swiss government rejects automatic citizenship for those born in Switzerland
On 15 June 2022, a proposal put forward by Stefania Prezioso Batou, a federal parliamentarian from Geneva, to grant automatic citizenship to those born in Switzerland was rejected by 112 to 75 votes in Switzerland’s federal parliament, reported 20 Minutes. Batou would like to see the introduction of jus soli where a child born in […]
Swiss parliament rejects plans to grant foreign residents voting rights
On 8 June 2022, Switzerland’s parliament voted against a Green Party plan to allow foreigners with at least 5 years of residency to vote and be elected in federal elections, reported ATS. A total of 113 members versus 63 voted against the plan. Foreigners living in Switzerland who wish to participate in democratic life are […]
Less than 2% of Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland have found work
Only around 2% of the working-age Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland have found work, according to recent statistics published by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The first challenge many of the refugees face is language. Recognition of qualifications is another. In addition, many are finding they cannot find positions at the same level as their […]
Swiss government concludes discussions on cutting social welfare for foreigners
As part of a revision of the rules related to foreigners in Switzerland the federal government has concluded discussions around cutting welfare entitlements for nationals from much of the world, reported the newspaper Le Matin. Discussions on restricting the welfare paid to some foreigners, which have been going on for some time, concluded on 3 […]
Homelessness much higher in French-speaking Switzerland, shows study
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 […]
