Do Ukrainian Refugees Have A Secure Future In Switzerland?

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Since the start of the war, Switzerland has fast-tracked asylum claims from Ukrainian refugees but is now rejecting claims at a higher rate than ever before.

Swissinfo's India specialist covers a wide range of issues from bilateral relations to Bollywood. He also knows a thing or two about Swiss watchmaking and is partial to the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

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Last November, Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland were able to breathe a sigh of relief when the government extended the special protectionsExternal link they have enjoyed since March 2022 to March 2025. The“protection status S” entitles them to live and work in Switzerland as well as access social welfare. This special status also means they did not have to go through the conventional asylum procedure and were fast-tracked as refugees, provided they were residents in Ukraine before February 24, 2022, and had already entered Switzerland.

On July 31, the Swiss migration authority tweeted that 66,182 Ukrainians currently possessed a valid status S. However, the post also revealed that 26,392 status S permits had been terminated since they were first issued in March 2022. The government has the right to revoke the S permit if holders change their place of residence to a third country and obtain legal residence rights there. In addition, the permits can be revoked if Ukrainians are found to have stayed in Ukraine for more than 15 days per quarter (this is waived if they can prove they were preparing for permanent return to Ukraine). Statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesExternal link (UNHCR) show that only 63.1% of all Ukrainians who ever applied for asylum or temporary protection in Switzerland are currently registered in the country as of July 4.

Besides revoking S permits, the migration authority can also reject asylum application from Ukrainians. So far, State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has refused protection status S to about 2,500 Ukrainians since the start of the war in February 2022. The rejection rate is increasing.

Daniel Bach, spokesperson for the SEM, told Swiss public television, RTS, on Sunday that many Ukrainians now come to Switzerland from other European countries and not directly from Ukraine. This is one of the main reasons why they do not meet the criteria necessary for obtaining an S permit. Why are Ukrainians in safe countries in Europe trying their luck in Switzerland?

“It's possible for people who have already been granted protection in another country to submit an application in Switzerland for various reasons, for example because family members live here. The SEM then clarifies this and, depending on the case, refers to this existing protection,” says Lionel Walter, spokesperson for the Swiss Refugee Council, by email.“This is not unusual and also happens in the procedures of other countries of origin. In our view, it's important that people have access to protection in a country that respects their fundamental rights.”

According to the Swiss Refugee Council, Switzerland is not a more popular destination than the rest of Europe, since the protection status is similar. Its research also shows that the choice of destination is not dictated only by the legal framework in force, but rather by cultural proximity, language, communities and the presence of relatives.

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