The government's preliminary strategy for the return of Ukrainian refugees from Switzerland envisages a window of six to nine months for departure. Find out more about who will be offered payments for leaving the country and under what conditions

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The Swiss government has unveiled a strategy for the return of Ukrainian refugees to their homeland. According to the plan, it is expected that about 80% of refugees will express a desire to return home voluntarily. In particular, Ukrainians will be encouraged with financial incentives, swissinfo.ch reports.

Switzerland plans to return Ukrainians home: what is known

The government took into account the previous refugee return strategy developed by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) in cooperation with the cantons.

It is noted that after the end of the temporary status period, refugees will be given 6-9 months to leave.

The issue of providing initial financial support is also being considered, and the amounts may vary in order not to encourage delay. Payments will vary from CHF 1,000 to CHF 4,000 (or EUR 1,037 to EUR 4,150) per person, depending on the time of departure.

At the same time, despite the uncertainty of the end of the war, government officials' plans are based on the possible abolition of the S (temporary protection) status for Ukrainians in 2024 or 2025.

The Swiss authorities estimate that about 80% of Ukrainians, or about 70,000 people, will be able to voluntarily return to their homeland. Most of them are women and children who have biometric passports, so they do not need to obtain visas or special travel documents.

The remaining 20% of refugees, or about 14,000 people, are likely to remain in Switzerland after the expiration of their S status and the allotted time for departure. This number may vary depending on the duration of the war and the extent of damage caused to Ukraine by Russian aggression. In such cases, the likelihood of voluntary return will decrease.

Since after 5 years of continuous residence in the country, refugees are entitled to a Swiss residence permit of category "B" (which is renewed annually), the Swiss authorities plan to make efforts to effectively encourage the voluntary departure of Ukrainians home.

The authorities propose to set a period of 6 to 9 months for departure to allow citizens to plan their trip.

Voluntary departure will be carried out independently on land, and forced departure by air will be considered as a last resort. 

For people in need of special support, such as about 1,000 unaccompanied children and 1,600 refugees over 75 with health problems, there will be no emphasis on rapid departure.

The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that the status will remain as long as Ukrainian citizens need protection.

We remind you! Earlier, we wrote that the Ukrainian issue has become a tool in the confrontation between Polish parties ahead of the parliamentary elections. Read our article to find out why Poles went to mass rallies and what percentage of Polish citizens do not support the continuation of assistance to Ukrainians.

Photo: REUTERS

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