Author
Refugees with asylum and temporarily admitted refugees who are unable to support themselves through their own resources are entitled to social benefits. They must be granted the same benefits as local recipients of social assistance.[1] The guidelines of the Swiss Conference for Social Assistance (SCSA) apply.[2]
For their part, temporarily admitted foreigners should receive the necessary social benefits unless third parties are required to support them.[3] The social benefits should be rendered in kind as non-cash benefits if possible. The benefits are lower than the social benefits given to the local population.[4] They can be as much as 40% below the guidelines of the SCSA, which as a consequence, is very little to live on. The amount, however, strongly varies from one canton to another and is supposed to cover basic social assistance, accommodation, health care costs as well as specific needs when necessary.
The provision of social benefits is under the responsibility of the Confederation as long as the person is staying in a federal asylum centre. After allocation to a canton, the canton should provide social assistance or emergency aid based on Article 80a AsylA. Cantonal laws fix the amount and grounds for granting and limiting welfare benefits. This results in large differences of treatment among cantons.
Temporarily admitted foreigners are usually free to choose their place of residence within the canton unless they receive social assistance benefits. The cantonal authorities assign a place of residence and accommodation to temporarily admitted persons dependent on social assistance.[5]
For the first time, a study has demonstrated a direct causal link between the amount of social assistance paid to refugees and the number of registered offences. If cantons pay refugees more money, the number of minor offences and drug-related crimes decreases.[6]
[1] Article 3(1) AO2.
[2] SCSA, Les normes CSIAS, available in French (and German and Italian) here.
[3] Article 81 AsylA.
[4] Article 82(3) AsylA.
[5] Article 85(5) FNIA.
[6] CESifo, Social Assistance and Refugee Crime, April 2024.