The Swiss government considers itself an established resettlement state for refugee despite the lack of humanitarian corridors or community sponsorship programmes.
This content was published on
1 minute
Key-SDA/SWI-del
Português
pt
Suíços comparam sua política de refugiados no contexto internacional
A study, carried out by the State Secretariat for Migration, compared its policy with other countries and analysed the Swiss instruments for accepting refugees.
However, the non-government Swiss Refugee Council has criticised the findings as too positive.
The study, published on Tuesday, points out that Switzerland takes in several hundred refugees from crisis regions every year and that Switzerland uses most of the instruments that other countries use to supplement resettlement.
Switzerland is doing more than other states by offering the possibility of applying for a humanitarian visas from anywhere, the study concludes.
Other points raised by the authors are the lack of humanitarian corridors – programmes agreed by the state with religious or other civil society communities.
Even if there are no actual programmes for community sponsorship, the SEM notes that this idea is already being implemented to some extent, the study found.
Criticism
The Swiss Refugee Council welcomed the assessment in principle but criticised that the existing instruments are hardly effective because they are applied in an extremely restrictive manner.
This is particularly the case with the granting of humanitarian visas and family reunification, the NGO said.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
November 24, 2024 votes: the results from across Switzerland
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Argentina’s Milei to visit Switzerland in January 2025
This content was published on
Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei plans to visit Switzerland on January 24, 2025 to attend an event organised by the Liberal Institute in Zurich.
This content was published on
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, says it intends to open an office in Zurich. The move is part of its European expansion plan, after setting up offices in London, Paris, Brussels and Dublin.
This content was published on
The Swiss economy is growing slightly faster than expected, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
This content was published on
The House of Representatives on Wednesday cut the foreign aid budget by CHF250 million ($282 million) in favour of the army.
Parliament confirms 13th pension payment to be paid once a year in December
This content was published on
The 13th old-age pension payment will be paid out as planned from December 2026, the Swiss Senate confirmed on Wednesday.
This content was published on
Around 1,000 Swiss farmers took part in a protest action near Bern on Tuesday, calling for less administrative work, more planning security and fairer prices.
UN appeals for more funds to assist 305 million people in need
This content was published on
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that around 305 million people will need aid in 2025.
Swiss authorities release right-to-die activist in Sarco ‘suicide capsule’ case
This content was published on
A right-to-die activist has been released from police custody over the reported first use of the Sarco “suicide capsule”, after prosecutors ruled out the possibility of an intentional homicide.
Switzerland demands immediate halt to hostilities in Syria
This content was published on
The Swiss foreign ministry has called for an immediate end to hostilities in Syria. International humanitarian law must be respected, it declared via the social media platform X on Tuesday.
Poll: right-wing Swiss People’s Party enjoys growing support among population
This content was published on
If national elections had been held in Switzerland last month, the right-wing Swiss People's Party would have won, and increased its share of votes by 2% compared to the 2023 federal elections.
Justice minister concerned about rising migration through Balkans
This content was published on
The numbers of refugees and migrants coming to Western Europe via the Balkans have again “risen sharply”, including to Switzerland.
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.