In 2017, net migration of foreigners to Switzerland fell for the fourth year running to 53k, according to the State Migrations Secretariat (SEM). This net figure was 12% lower than in 2016 and similar to the number in 2002 when Switzerland opened its doors to citizens of EU and EFTA nations. In 2017, 148k foreigners moved […]
The number of people on welfare continues to rise in Switzerland
In 2016, around 273,000 people, 3.3% of the population, received welfare in Switzerland. The number (not the rate) was 2.9% higher than the year before and 15.7% higher than 5 years earlier when the rate was 3.0%. Rates of those receiving government aid varied significantly by canton, ranging from 0.8% in Appenzell Innerrhoden to 7.4% […]
Three quarters of Swiss voters favour burqa ban, suggests poll
A recent online poll run on behalf of the newspapers Le Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung suggests a large majority of Swiss voters are in favour of a nationwide ban on face covering in public. Around 76% approve of the anti-face covering initiative launched by the group, known as the Egerkingen committee. The group, which presented […]
Swiss courts wrong on minaret ban speech case, rules european court
On 9 January 2018, the European Court of Human Rights decided against a decision by the Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s highest court, and demanded the Swiss government pay 35,000 euros. The case relates to the publication of a speech leading up to the Swiss vote to ban the construction of minarets in 2009. On 5 November […]
Becoming Swiss is about to get harder
From 1 January 2018, becoming Swiss will get more difficult. The key change is the types of qualifying residence permits – only C-permit holders will be able to apply. In addition, years spent in Switzerland on N (asylum) and F (provisional) permits will not count. There is some good news. Those with C-permits will only […]
More Swiss marrying foreigners
About one in four residents of Switzerland is an immigrant, and the country welcomes them – as long as they are willing to integrate into Swiss culture. Perhaps one measure of integration success is the rising number of internationally mixed marriages. In 2016, there were 15,100 mixed marriages in Switzerland, 36% of all marriages. Over […]
Poorly integrated foreigners risk losing residence permits
Last week, the Swiss government opened discussions on new rules on the integration of foreigners, part of its carrot and stick approach to improving integration and lowering the high rates of unemployment among this group. According to Le Matin, changes, adopted last December and due to come into force on 1 January 2018, are the […]
Swiss village offering to pay people to live there inundated with applications
After the Swiss mountain village of Albinen hatched a plan to pay parents (CHF 25,000 each) and children (CHF 10,000 each) to move there, it has been inundated with applicants. Articles about the offer have been published by Time, The Sunday Times, The Sun, El Pais, and many other publications. Rather than celebrating, the picturesque town’s administration is unhappy. […]
Switzerland’s Federal Council against banning dual nationals from office
When Ignazio Cassis gave up his Italian nationality ahead of his recent election to the Federal Council some celebrated. According to 20 Minutes, Lorenzo Quadri, from the Lega dei Ticinesi, a political party in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, put forward a motion to have this made law. He thinks Federal Councillors, parliamentarians and diplomats […]
How Singaporean passports outrank Swiss ones
Some passports are better than others. To make comparisons easy, Arton Capital has created the Passport Index. The 2017 index ranks 199 passports based on the number of countries the holder can travel to with ease. At the bottom is Afghanistan. Holders of this passport need a visa ahead of travelling for 89% of the countries on the […]
