20 Minutes. Switzerland’s population rose by 90’600 in 2016, more than the population of the city of Luzern or the combined populations of the cities of Nyon, Neuchâtel and Yverdon. The 1.1% increase brings the number of permanent residents at the end of 2016 to 8,417,700. If this growth rate of 1.1% were extrapolated forward […]
Four of the five women fined for wearing full veil since start of ban are Swiss
20 Minutes. On 1 July 2016, Ticino became the first Swiss canton to ban full veils or full covering of the face in public. Since then only six transgressions have been recorded by the canton’s police. Of the six, one was issued to a Saudi national who quickly paid the CHF 100 sum, said the […]
The number of solo parents rises in Switzerland with big variances across cantons
Between 2014 and 2015 the number of solo parents rose 11,500 (+5.6%) bringing the total to 218,000. Single parent families made up 6% of Swiss households in 2015, according to statistics released this week. The percentages vary significantly by canton. The cantons with the highest rates of of solo mums and dads are Geneva (8.7%), Neuchâtel (8.0%), […]
Most Swiss support EU agreements, says poll
20 Minutes. A large majority of Swiss (77%) polled think a stable relationship with the European Union (EU) is an economic necessity and that EU agreements should be maintained. 75% of the 2,500 surveyed by gfs.bern between 9 and 25 February 2017, believe that agreements with the EU are needed to ensure the Swiss economy has […]
Albanian muslims agree religious rules cannot replace Swiss laws
20 Minutes. The two main Albanian muslim associations will sign a declaration in Bern today stipulating that no religious rules can replace Swiss laws. The Swiss Albanian muslim community and the Swiss union of Albanian imams will both sign the declaration in the presence of the Swiss authorities and representatives of Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. […]
Tax cheat loses right to Swiss citizenship
Tribune de Genève. A German national who married a Swiss citizen lost his right to Swiss citizenship after Swiss authorities learned he had evaded tax in Germany. Four years after marrying, the man applied to become Swiss. In March 2014, he was granted the right to be naturalised under the facilitated process, a process requiring […]
Vaud rejects plan to follow Geneva and give permits to illegal workers
Le Matin. Jean-Michel Dolivo put forward a motion for Vaud to follow Geneva and grant permits to illegal workers. Vaud’s cantonal parliament rejected the plan by 71 votes to 60. The proposal would have worked in a similar way to Papyrus, a plan unveiled in Geneva recently, which grants visas to illegal workers that meet […]
Nationwide burka ban rejected by Swiss government
20 Minutes. After the National Assembly narrowly accepted a proposal for a nationwide ban on the burka, the Council of States (upper house), rejected the plan on Thursday by 26 votes to 9, with 4 abstentions. The proposal put forward by Walter Wobmann (UDC/SVP) has now been definitively rejected. At the same time Walter Wobmann […]
Acceleration in number of Swiss emigrating
According to government statistics released today, the number of Swiss living abroad increased by 2.9% in 2016, reaching close to 775,000. This means around 1 in 9 Swiss nationals lives outside Switzerland. Growth in the number leaving has been accelerating. In previous years the growth rate was around 2%. At the end of 2015, there were 8,327,126 […]
Geneva plans to offer permits to thousands of illegal immigrants
Tribune de Genève. After more than 15 years, Geneva State councillor Pierre Maudet unveiled a plan code named operation Papyrus. The operation was negotiated with Switzerland’s federal government to regularise some of Geneva’s illegal immigrants, mainly domestic workers. Under the operation, 590 residence permits have already been granted. Pierre Maudet said “Papyrus is a roadmap for […]
