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 […]
A 55 year-old man born in Switzerland set to be expelled
20 Minutes. According to 20 Minutes, a Swiss court recently ruled that a 55 year-old Spanish citizen with a long criminal record, must leave Switzerland. The man found himself in front of a judge for the first time at the age of 17 for bodily injury. Following that he was tried for theft, drug offenses, […]
Anti-cowbell campaigner eventually gets Swiss passport
According to the Aargauer Zeitung, Nancy Holten, a 43 year old dutch citizen who had her Swiss citizenship application rejected twice by the commune of Gipf-Oberfick where she lives with her three Swiss daughters, recently learned that the canton of Aargau had overruled the commune’s decision, clearing the way for her to become a Swiss citizen. […]
Swiss naturalisation to get much cheaper in Geneva
20 Minutes. For those wanting to become Swiss, Geneva will no longer charge based on income. For some the price will be a less than a third of what they’d pay now. On Wednesday, the cantonal government announced that the fees will change on 1 June 2017. Currently the total cost ranges from CHF 930 […]
Immigrants make up 61% of Geneva’s population
Tribune de Genève. 42% of Geneva’s residents are not Swiss citizens, the highest level of any Swiss canton. When naturalised foreigners are added this percentage it rises to 61%. This compares to an average of 36% across Switzerland. Of the 61% over 15 years old with foreign roots, 40% have Swiss citizenship while the other […]
Swiss parliamentarian wants to stop distribution of the Quran
Le Matin. According to Swiss newspapers, Walter Wobman, a national councillor and member of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), would like to prevent distribution of the Quran in Switzerland. He told the newspapers Ostschweiz am Sonntag and Zentralschweiz am Sonntag: “It should not be possible to distribute books as extreme as the Quran, which attack […]
