After last year's vote to speed up procedures in national centres, the government now plans to cut subsidies for rejected asylum seekers.
Keystone
The government wants to cut its financial contributions to asylum seekers as part of efforts to tighten the asylum procedure in Switzerland.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch with agencies/urs
The payments for individuals, currently around CHF6,000 ($6,312), could be reduced by a third, according to the Swiss News Agency.
The contribution, paid by the national government to the cantonal authorities responsible for basic support of rejected asylum seekers, could even be limited to CH400 when an applicant can be sent to back another of the 32 member countries of the Dublin accordExternal link, which includes the European Union and the European Free Trade Association.
Administrative costs are to be halved at the same time, according to the justice ministry.
In total, the government hopes to reduce costs by CHF73 million ($76.1 million) annually, based on an assumption of about 24,000 asylum requests per year.
The State Secretariat for Migration said it was seeking to adapt the rules of legal assistance, the asylum system and the responsibility of the cantons repatriating rejected asylum seekers.
The new regulations are due to come into force in 2019 and follow last year’s nationwide vote aimed at speeding up the asylum procedure to a maximum of 140 days.
The government adds that ongoing trials run by the federal authorities in an asylum centre in Zurich have proved successful, resulting in more efficient practices.
This content was published on
On Sunday, 66.8% of voters backed a legal amendment to reform asylum procedures, which was passed by parliament last year but challenged by the conservative right Swiss People’s Party. Nationwide turnout was 46%. Under the proposal, most asylum requests should be decided within 140 days of being submitted, including time for appeals – compared with…
This content was published on
More than 54% of voters came out against a CHF105 million ($108 million) credit over four years, according to officials. The conservative right People’s Party forced a vote on the issue, saying unaccompanied adolescents did not need special benefits and they could be housed in regular asylum centres together with adults and families. The Bern…
Swiss asylum requests plunge 36% in first half of 2017
This content was published on
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) reported a 36% drop in the first half of the year compared to the 14,277 requests during the same period in 2016. Officials said the latest figure is the lowest they have seen for any January-to-June period since 2010. However, the number of asylum seekers in Europe, including Switzerland,…
UNHCR urges Switzerland to improve care of unaccompanied minors
This content was published on
Unaccompanied minors who have fled to Switzerland without their relatives should benefit from welcome centres that are properly adapted.
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.