According to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) the decline in applications is largely due to two factors. First, a drop in migration along the central Mediterranean route from mid-July onwards.
Second, fewer migrant arrivals from conflict zones like Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, which were quite significant at the beginning of 2016.
The majority of asylum applications came from Eritrea with 3,375 requests. However, this represents a decline of nearly 35% over one year. Syria came next with 1,951 applications (-9%), followed by Afghanistan with 1,217 requests (-62%), Turkey with 852 requests (+62%), Somalia with 843 (-46.7) and Sri Lanka with 840 (-38.8%).
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Swiss need more asylum detention places, say authorities
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Switzerland must increase its number of administrative detention spots by 50%, according to judicial and police authorities.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
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?
Initiative calls for 36-week parental leave in Switzerland
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The initiative proposes 18 weeks of non-transferable leave per parent, to be taken alternately within ten years of implementation.
Over a quarter of Swiss Catholics consider leaving the church
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In Switzerland 27% of Catholics have thought about leaving the church, according to a survey by the Sotomo research centre.
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Following the Credit Suisse debacle, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) is adapting its organisation.
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The Swiss Armed Forces are training their fighter jets in Bern to fly from a civilian base. The exercise at Bern Airport will last until Wednesday.
Plans materialise for new particle accelerator in Geneva
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Preparations for a huge new particle accelerator in Geneva have reached a milestone. After several years of work, a feasibility study for the project has now been finalised.
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The value of frozen Russian assets in Switzerland currently stands at CHF7.4 billion ($8.4 billion), the Swiss government announced on Tuesday.
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Germany deports more asylum seekers back to Switzerland
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The last few years has seen a rising number of people transiting through Switzerland in order to claim asylum in Germany. But the German authorities appear to have had enough. In the first eight months of this year, the number of deportation requests (1,875) back to Switzerland has risen 70% on 2016. Switzerland is also…
Hundreds of young asylum seekers disappear in Switzerland
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Over 500 unaccompanied minors dropped off the radars of official Swiss agencies last year – a major increase on the previous year.
Swiss need more asylum detention places, say authorities
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Switzerland must increase its number of administrative detention spots by 50%, according to judicial and police authorities.
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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.