The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is planning to set up online registration for Ukrainian refugees, after long queues at federal asylum centres at the weekend.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/SWI swissinfo.ch/ilj
Português
pt
Suíça planeja registro online para refugiados ucranianos
“We are sorry that refugees have had to wait outside for hours,” SEM head Christine Schraner Burgener said at a press conference at the Federal Asylum Centre in Zurich on Sunday.
Centre employees have been distributing bottles of water and baby food to those waiting in Zurich. People were able to fill in some forms in a tent outside the centre.
Federal asylum centre websites – as well as the SEM websiteExternal link – are now showing which places are the busiest with a red, yellow and green marking.
S permit
On Friday the Swiss government announced that Ukrainians fleeing the war would be eligible for a temporary S permit to live, work and go to school in Switzerland. This came into force on Saturday. The status, initially valid for a year, has never before been activated.
On Saturday, it was reported that that federal asylum centres were being overrun with people rushing to register.
More
More
Ukraine refugees: federal asylum centres overrun
This content was published on
Swiss federal asylum centres have reported extremely high numbers of refugees from Ukraine registering for protected S status.
Online registration should speed up the process, especially for those refugees who have already found accommodation with friends or family. “We want to digitalise the system better,” Schraner Burgener said. She also pledged to obtain more machines for finger printing.
Places to stay
The main priority was that refugees had a place to say. SEM spokesman Daniel Bach said that there was still enough room in federal asylum centres.
By Monday morning, 3,843 Ukrainians – mostly women and children – had been registered. The original cautious estimation had been of around 1,000 Ukrainians arriving in Switzerland a week, the news agency Keystone-SDA noted.
The non-governmental Swiss Refugee CouncilExternal link is coordinating access to safe private accommodation in Switzerland. It said around 45,000 beds were available privately, as well as a further 5,000 beds in hotels, scout hostels and other buildings.
External Content
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
Up to 60,000 Ukrainians could seek refuge in Switzerland
This content was published on
Between 50,000-60,000 Ukrainians could seek protection in Switzerland following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Swiss justice minister.
This content was published on
As Switzerland prepares to host over 5,000 refugees, many schools across the country could soon be taking in children fleeing war-torn Ukraine.
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.