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
Banking & Fintech
UBS releases ‘hundreds’ of staff in fresh wave of job cuts
Should Switzerland take measures to support its struggling industries?
Industrial policies are back in fashion, not only in the United States but also in the EU. Should Switzerland, where various industries are struggling, draw inspiration from such policies?
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
This content was published on
Insects benefit from storm devastation, says a 20-year study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.
This content was published on
The parents of the young jihadist who left for Syria to join the Islamic State have been given suspended sentences by the Federal Criminal Court.
This content was published on
Felix Lehner, Pamela Rosenkranz and Miroslav Sik have been awarded the Swiss Grand Award for Art/Prix Meret Oppenheim 2025.
Nearly 2% of new Swiss disability insurance claims involve Long Covid
This content was published on
Just under 2% of new claims submitted to the disability insurance between 2021 and 2023 concern people suffering from Long Covid.
This content was published on
The watch industry had to contend with a weakening of its exports last year, which reached a volume of CHF25.9 billion ($28.5 billion).
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.