The majority of asylum-seekers who left a federal departure centre near Zurich have vanished without a trace, the Swiss government concluded after testing accelerated asylum measures over 15 months.
A total of 649 asylum-seekers were admitted to the Embrach departure centre between the time of its opening in March 2017 and early June 2018.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) said on Wednesday that 309 out of the 503 asylum-seekers who left the centre did so in an uncontrolled manner. In other words, the authorities have no knowledge where they went after the centre.
That figure corresponds to around 61% of all departures. The federal departure centre in Embrach was part of a pilot project in which the federal authorities, along with the procedural centre in Zurich, tested the new Asylum Act.
The changes to asylum legislation will come into force at the beginning of 2019. They are the outcome of a 2016 vote, in which the government gained public backing to reform and speed up asylum procedures in Switzerland.
The departure centre is the final stop for asylum-seekers who have not been allowed to stay in Switzerland. Asylum-seekers are sent there to wait for repatriation to their home country, transfer to a third country, or a Dublin member state.
Switzerland implements the Dublin convention which stipulates that the country of initial entry is responsible for the asylum process.
Nationwide, there were a total of 2,378 of uncontrolled departures between January and May 2018, according to the SEM’s asylum statistics. This corresponds to 36% of all departures.
Some 2,801 departures were listed as ‘controlled’, which included independent departures from Switzerland, repatriations, and transfers to other nations.
SEM classed a further 1,472 cases as “other departures”.
By introducing these departure centres, the Swiss government hoped to ensure that rejected asylum-seekers are returned directly to their countries of origin.
The government plans to establish a total of 18 federal asylum centres nationwide.
The location of some 13 of them has already been established, three are still controversial and a further two are currently under review, the SEM told the Swiss News Agency.
swissinfo.ch/ln
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
Trump tariff shock: how Switzerland is positioning itself
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
An atomic ‘tick-tock’ with Swiss technology heads to space to test the Einstein effect
This content was published on
On Monday, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the ACES set of atomic clocks to measure the effect of gravity on the passage of time.
Swiss Guard swearing-in ceremony postponed following Pope Francis death
This content was published on
The swearing-in ceremony of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, which usually takes place on May 6 each year, has been postponed to a date to be announced next autumn.
Swiss medical device maker Ypsomed to sell diabetes business
This content was published on
Bern-based injection device manufacturer Ypsomed announced on Tuesday that it was selling its diabetes-related activities.
Award-winning Swiss author and scholar Peter von Matt dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Alemannic writer and former professor of German literature Peter von Matt died on Monday in Zurich at the age of 87, following a long illness.
Swiss foreign minister spoke with Iranian counterpart about US dialogue
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has spoken with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi about the current dialogue between the US and Iran.
Swiss foreign minister appeals for cohesion and dialogue at Expo in Japan
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis called for cohesion and dialogue at the opening of the Swiss National Day at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, on Tuesday.
Switzerland postpones launch of emergency number for domestic violence victims
This content was published on
The launch of the “142” emergency number, which aims to help victims of domestic violence in Switzerland, has been postponed to May 2026.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Ethiopians rally in Bern to protest deportation deal
This content was published on
In April, for the first time in five years, Ethiopia announced it was ready to receive back citizens whose asylum applications in Switzerland had been rejected. This policy change is an outcome of an agreement between the African state and the EU. To be readmitted, the persons concerned must be recognised as Ethiopian nationals. If they…
A life in limbo for Switzerland’s F permit holders
This content was published on
“Living in Switzerland with an F permit is like living in limbo,” say four asylum seekers who have been 'provisionally admitted' to the country.
More than 800 crimes committed in Swiss asylum centres
This content was published on
The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) has reported that 813 criminal offences were committed in Swiss asylum centres in 2017.
Deal seeks to integrate refugees in Swiss job market
This content was published on
The Swiss government has agreed to triple its financial contribution to help boost the integration of refugees into the labour market.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.