Recently Switzerland’s States Council, or upper house, supported a proposal to review the current practice around expelling failed asylum seekers, in particular those who are radicalised or have broken the law. The proposal, put forward by Damian Müller (PLR/FDP) must now be discussed by the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body. After the attacks in Manchester […]
Swiss government to look at reducing foreigners’ rights to social welfare
On 8 June 2017, Switzerland’s Federal Council said it would look at possibilities for reducing access of non-EU citizens to social welfare payments. At the same time it dismissed a federal level proposal to make non-european residents wait 3 to 5 years after their arrival before gaining entitlement to social welfare on the grounds that […]
More than half of children under 6 in Switzerland have a foreign parent
In 1950, 6% of Switzerland’s nearly 5 million residents were foreign. By 2015, 24.6% of the nation’s 8.3 million inhabitants, more than 2 million, were. The vast majority of foreigners in Switzerland in 2015 were from Europe (84.6%). Relatively smaller percentages were from Asia (6.7%), Africa (4.6%), Latin America (2.6%), North America (1.3%) and Australasia (0.2%). […]
Some Swiss cantons overwhelmed with confessions of tax evasion
Ahead of the automatic exchange of bank account information, which comes into effect at the beginning of next year, Swiss residents with undeclared foreign bank accounts are rushing to come clean to the tax authorities, according to Swiss broadcaster RTS. According to RTS, 380 have come forward in Fribourg, 173 in Valais, 254 in Jura, around […]
France continues hunt for residents pretending to live in Switzerland
Tribune de Genève. The neighbouring French commune of Saint-Julien-en-Genevois has expanded its hunt for those who live in France but pretend to live in Switzerland. Some of those living in France and working in Switzerland, declare their French home as a secondary residence and claim to reside primarily in Switzerland. This makes them Swiss taxpayers, depriving the […]
Poor not being pushed out of Swiss cities
It is widely believed that as the price of real estate climbs those on low incomes are forced out of city centres. A study by the University of Geneva, commissioned by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office focused on the period between 2010 and 2014, shows this is not true in Switzerland. Rich leaving the centres […]
Poverty in Switzerland has more to do with age than any other factor
A recent report classifies 570,000 people in Switzerland as poor. This number represents 7% of the population, and relates to 2015. In 2014, the same percentage was 6.6%. The report, which looks only at income, defines as poor a single person with income less than CHF 2,239 per month or a family of four with […]
Vaud begging ban to go in to force despite opposition
20 Minutes. Four out of five judges from the canton of Vaud’s constitutional court rejected a call to do away with the canton’s law banning begging. Opposed by a group of political parties on the left, the law was passed by Vaud’s parliament, known as the Grand conseil, and became law in September 2016. The group opposing […]
Canton of Geneva targets those employing domestic workers illegally
Brought to you by quitt.ch Recently, the canton of Geneva launched a campaign to raise awareness of the costs and risks of employing domestic workers illegally, including fines and legal sanctions. The campaign is focussed on explaining why undeclared work does not pay, employing the slogan: “ça se paie cash!”, which roughly translates to: paying illegal workers […]
Commission calls for stricter integration requirements for foreigners in Switzerland
Le Matin. A Swiss government commission decided last week that recent legal changes to help temporary permit holders qualify for permanent residency in Switzerland are not strict enough when it comes to integration requirements. Foreigners on temporary permits have been in the firing line in Switzerland for some time. Because returning to their home country often isn’t possible, a […]
