Author
|
Name in English |
Number of staff |
Ministry responsible |
Is there any political interference possible by the responsible Minister with the decision making in individual cases by the determining authority? |
|
State Secretariat for Migration (Asylum Department) |
622 |
Federal Department of Justice and Police |
No |
Source: SEM, 12 February 2020.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is responsible for examining applications for international protection and competent to take decisions at first instance. It falls under the responsibility of the Federal Department of Justice and Police. The guidelines and circulars of the SEM relating to the asylum procedure are publicly accessible and can be consulted online.[1]
Besides asylum, the SEM covers also other areas in the field of migration such as immigration or integration. This means that the 622 officials working for the SEM as of February 2020 are not all caseworkers examining applications for international protection, as they may be responsible for a variety of other tasks. However, the authority dealing with asylum is a specialised section within the SEM.