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) |
895 | Federal Department of Justice and Police | No |
The 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]
The SEM employs 1,624 officials, who work not only on asylum but also other areas in the field of migration such as immigration or integration. Out of them, 895 officials worked in the Asylum Department as of December 2025. 24 officials work in the COI department, 10 officials in the LINGUA department. The number of caseworkers examining applications for international protection in the six asylum regions is 307. In the headquarters in Bern, 74 officials work in the field of asylum procedures, 21 officials in the field of the Dublin regulation.[2]
| Where? | SEM | Asylum Department |
| Bern (Headquarter) | 1,031 | 344 |
| Federal Asylum Centre Bern | 75 | 72 |
| Federal Asylum Centre Altstätten | 79 | 75 |
| Federal Asylum Centre Basel | 96 | 91 |
| Federal Asylum Centre Boudry | 148 | 142 |
| Federal Asylum Centre Chiasso | 81 | 76 |
| Federal Asylum Centre Zurich | 102 | 95 |
| Airport Zurich | 9 | 0 |
| Airport Geneva | 3 | 0 |
Source: Data provided by the SEM, March 2026.
[1] SEM, Guidelines and circulars, available in French (and German and Italian) here. A Handbook on Asylum and Return for SEM employees providing useful information on Swiss law and practice is also available online in French (and German) here.
[2] Data provided by the SEM, March 2026. Due to fewer asylum applications, the SEM cut 83 jobs at the start of the year 2026, see SRF, Swiss migration office cuts jobs due to fewer asylum arrivals, 28 March 2026, available in English here.