20 Minutes. According to a poll taken by the newspapers Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung, only 38% of those polled thought it would be a good idea to give islam the same status as christianity and judaism in Switzerland. Of those in support, 18% said yes, while 20% were somewhat in favour. The remaining 62% were against or […]
Cross-border worker numbers surge despite declining immigration
At the end of September 2016, 314,000 foreign residents were crossing the border to work in Switzerland. This represents around 6% of Switzerland’s workforce1. Swiss statistics office numbers show a rise of 3.5%, or 10,500 people since 30 September 2015. The largest numbers and growth were seen in the number of French residents working in Switzerland. […]
Number of people banned entry to Switzerland for security reasons more than triples
20 Minutes. By the end of September this year, Switzerland’s Federal office of police (Fedpol), had banned 97 people from entering Switzerland, compared to 28 across the whole of 2015. A spokesperson for Fedpol told the news service ATS that the rise was largely related to war and conflict in the middle east. Many of the […]
“Neo-Nazi” concert planned near Lausanne
Tribune de Genève. Recently, there has been a spate of gatherings in Switzerland, described by the Swiss press as ‘neo-Nazi’. After a large gathering in Unterwasser, and a smaller one in Kaltbrunn, both in the canton of Saint Gallen, the Blick newspaper revealed late last week, there were plans for a third, near Lausanne on 5 November […]
Swiss cabinet rejects referendum to undo immigration restrictions
By August 2015, a group determined to create a fallback plan should Switzerland’s government fail to negotiate a deal with the EU, had gathered enough signatures to hold a referendum. Their initiative, known as RASA, would give voters a chance to decide whether to repeal the changes made to the constitution by the February 2014 vote to […]
Swiss migration drops substantially
Statistics published yesterday show a drop in net foreign migration into Switzerland of 18.3% over the first nine months of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015. The drop was driven by a 6.9% decline in immigration, combined with a 4.7% increase in emigration. The number arriving from the EU and EFTA countries dropped by […]
Swiss fact: Zurich has Switzerland’s sixth highest percentage of foreign residents
In 2015, 25.5% of Switzerland’s population were foreign, or one in four. However, foreigners were not spread evenly across the country. The canton with the highest percentage of non-Swiss living within its borders was Geneva, where 42.1% of the population lived without a Swiss passport. Next on the list were the cantons of Basel-City (36.2%), […]
More Swiss visas for non-Europeans in 2017
20 Minutes. Visa quotas for non-EU workers will rise next year. The increased quotas will include 3,000 B-permits and 4,500 L-permits, 1,000 more than this year. These limits are still lower than in 2014, when Swiss politics turned against the free movement of workers from the EU. 2014 quotas of 3,500 B-permits and 5,000 short-term L-permits, […]
From Saturday, foreigners breaking the law risk expulsion
Tribune de Genève. A new law to deport foreign criminals comes into force on 1 October 2016. Geneva’s judiciary fears an explosion in the number of cases. In 2010, a referendum put forward by the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), was accepted by 52.9% of voters. This Saturday it comes into effect. This means anyone who […]
Swiss-based imam approves of niqab ban
20 Minutes. According to 20 Minutes, Bern-based imam Mustafa Memeti approves of the Swiss parliament approving a plan to ban full veils across the nation. Others are still unsure. Yesterday, Switzerland’s National Council accepted, with 88 votes for and 87 votes against, to ban the wearing of burkas and niqabs nationwide. The imam’s comments and those from […]
