Switzerland expects asylum applications to be high this year

According to Swiss press reports, Christine Schraner Burgener, Head of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration, said they expect the number of people seeking asylum in the country to be around 27,000 this year, and that the number could reach 40 thousand in the worst case scenario.

Reporting that the number of Ukrainians applying for asylum in Switzerland has not increased in recent weeks, Burgener said: “The economic fallout from the war is expected to keep asylum claims high. It also depends on the course of the war and how it affects other regions.” he performed the assessment of it.

Switzerland accepted 24,500 asylum seekers last year, an increase of 64 percent compared to the previous year. The country also accepted some 75,000 Ukrainian asylum seekers last year through an expedited registration process and special protection status.

The number of Ukrainians seeking asylum in Switzerland dropped to 500 per week. Stating that they are facing an extraordinary situation, Burgener stressed that they are pushing the envelope with such a high number of asylum seekers.

“So far, the asylum system has passed the stress test, but all levels of government are under pressure,” Burgener said. he used the phrase.

Burgener said the repatriation rate for asylum seekers was 54 percent last year, adding that this was a “clear sign” for asylum seekers who arrived in the country and were not persecuted. “If you come to Switzerland for economic reasons, the chances of a positive result are very low,” Burgener said. saying.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Some cantons in Switzerland applied for housing support from the federal government earlier this month due to the increasing number of refugees. The cantons of Bern and Geneva suspended the process of accepting refugees.

Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter announced in December that she would suspend the current resettlement program to accept refugees in need of special protection.

Keller-Sutter stated that they made this decision on the basis that the country’s capacity to receive refugees has been exhausted. (AA)