Ukrainians in Switzerland now find it harder to get protection: reasons
The situation with obtaining protection for Ukrainians in Switzerland has undergone certain complications. In particular, the processing time for applications for S status has increased significantly. Find out more about the reasons for this and what refugees can expect
It has become much more difficult for Ukrainians in Switzerland to obtain protection status S. This is due to the fact that the time for processing applications has increased, and now every fifth refugee faces a refusal. This is reported by SRF.
Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland find it harder to get S status: details
The special migration regime aimed at providing quick and bureaucracy-free protection for Ukrainian refugees used to work quite effectively. In particular, at the beginning of 2023, 97% of applications for S protection status were approved, and the decision was made on average within 2 weeks.
However, in 2024, the situation changed: the duration of consideration increased, and the number of refusals increased. Since the beginning of this year, one third of the decisions on obtaining the status have been negative. During the first quarter, only 80% of applications were approved.
"This is due to the fact that more and more applicants who have already received protection status in other countries are applying for S status. Therefore, these people will no longer receive protection status in Switzerland," emphasizes SEM spokesperson Magdalena Rast.
The country has been rejecting applications for protection more often, especially since last fall.
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Switzerland has begun to check Ukrainians' documents more thoroughly
Local media reported that some people used forged or illegally acquired Ukrainian passports to obtain residence permits in Switzerland. This led to suspicions that not everyone who applied for protection in this country was really entitled to it. In this regard, the country's authorities began to check documents more thoroughly.
Currently, it takes almost three months to review documents for an application for SEM protection. This leads to an increase in the number of pending applications.
Currently, there are 6376 such cases - almost as many as there were after the war began. They are currently being processed by 38 employees.
It is known that since the beginning of the year, S status has been issued only at the Federal Asylum Center in Bern.
If you need legal assistance on migration issues, please contact Visit Ukraine lawyers. Our experts will answer your questions, help you solve urgent problems with submitting or obtaining the necessary documents, and advise you on the current rules for leaving Ukraine, changing the country of temporary protection or other migration issues.
You can order a specialist consultation on our website at this link.
We remind you! Migration trends among Ukrainians, in particular with the aim of changing the country of temporary protection, are increasing, as the conditions of stay and financial assistance are changing. Read about which countries will provide repeated temporary protection in 2024 and what is needed to move in our previous article.
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