The Swiss Asylum Authority raises the forecast for 2022. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) now assumes that at least 22,000 asylum applications should have been submitted in Switzerland by the end of the year. That would be about 7,000 more applications than in the previous year. However, the number is still below the 25,000 requests that outgoing Secretary of State for Migration Mario Gattiker (66) warned about early this year.
Asylum applications have risen sharply in recent weeks. In September, 2,681 applications were received. According to the SEM, this is the highest value within a month since the refugee crisis in 2015 and 2016. Experience shows that many people would try to get to Western Europe before the start of winter.
9,500 beds in the federal government
Those seeking protection from the war in Ukraine are already posing major challenges for the cantons, municipalities and the federal government. They are currently working together to create additional housing and the necessary human resources for the reception of asylum seekers and Ukrainian war refugees. The SEM alone, led by Christine Schraner Burgener (59), currently has 9,500 beds thanks to the support of the military.
If the situation in Ukraine remains more or less stable, the number of war refugees with protection status S is likely to rise from about 60,000 women, men and children today to 80,000 to 85,000 by the end of the year. However, if the situation for the people deteriorates sharply and, for example, the energy supply is cut across the board and for a long time, the number of people seeking protection will probably increase even more. In total, the number of Ukrainian war refugees can even reach 120,000.
Various supporters
The SEM also states that it has taken measures to further accelerate the asylum procedure and to increase the number of asylum decisions per month. The Secretariat of State states that it can increase the number of completed asylum procedures from 1,300 to 1,800 per month since the spring of 2022. The measures that have now been taken are intended to further increase productivity without compromising the quality of asylum procedures and decisions.
The SEM also needs additional human resources in the area of support. To relieve caregivers, the army supports the SEM in transporting people with vehicles and drivers. In addition, the Federal Police Office (fedpol) and the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders (KKPKS) monitor as security partners of the SEM.
Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, the Federal Bureau of Customs and Border Security (BMSF) has also supported asylum authorities in identifying persons seeking protection from Ukraine and checking their documents, and since September also in regular asylum procedures.
Pass on refugees faster
According to the SEM, if the use of the federal asylum seekers’ centers exceeds a critical value despite all the new measures, some of the asylum seekers should be temporarily distributed among the cantons earlier than before.
This scenario could arise if significantly more than 2,500 new asylum applications are submitted per month. This meant that some of the asylum seekers could not stay in the federal asylum seekers centers until the accelerated procedure had been completed and a possible deportation had taken place. (pt)