After the earthquake disaster – first visa issued in Switzerland for homeless relatives For the first time in more than 30 years: blizzard alert in Los Angeles

Switzerland has issued the first visas for earthquake-affected family members of Swiss or Turkish and Syrian nationals living in Switzerland. Another 40 visas are expected to follow soon.

The people who received visas on Friday are two people from Turkey, as Christine Schraner Burgener, head of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), said in Radio SRF’s “Samstagsrundschau”.

In total, about 2000 questions were received. People now know what papers they need to present to get a visa. How many visas will ultimately be issued is an open question. A total of 52 applications have been received so far.

Schraner Burgener left open whether the option for simplified visas should also be extended to affected siblings, as politicians demand. “We now need to look at what experiences we have and how many requests and what degree of relationship are being made,” she said.

“If we had expanded the option to include the siblings, there would have been an even longer line,” she said. But the goal was to act quickly. But the situation is under constant review.

Visas are only valid for 90 days

As for the limited duration of 90 days, she said it was a Schengen visa. Switzerland must comply with the Schengen rules. It is about giving those affected a roof over their heads and being able to recover. The point is that after three months the reconstruction process in the affected area has progressed so far that the relatives can then return. Of course, each case is considered individually.

After the two earthquakes, in which some 47,000 people died, Switzerland introduced a so-called accelerated procedure for visa applications from the affected area in Turkey and Syria. Anyone who has lost their home to the earthquake and has close relatives in Switzerland can benefit.

This includes spouses, parents, grandparents, children and minor grandchildren – but not siblings. The family members in Switzerland must have Swiss citizenship, a B residence permit or a C settlement permit. (sda)