Author
Compared to the last report update issued in July 2025, the following changes stood out as of May 2026:
International protection
- Statistics: In 2025, 25,781 persons applied for asylum in Switzerland, which is a decrease compared to 2024 (27,740). The countries of origin where most applicants came from were Afghanistan, Eritrea, Türkiye and Algeria. About 11% of new asylum applicants were self-declared unaccompanied minors. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) dealt with 19,266 applications in merit. The asylum rate was 38%, the protection rate of the applications dealt with in merit was 57%. The number of pending cases at first instance was 9,487 (see Statistics). In addition, in 2025, 12,071 (amongst them 11,963 persons from Ukraine) applied for temporary protection (Status S) in Switzerland, and 8,319 persons were granted this status.
- Asylum strategy 2027: At the Asylum Conference on 28 November 2025, the federal government, cantons, municipalities, and cities jointly announced their conclusion that, although the restructured asylum system has generally proven effective six years after its introduction, specific action is needed. As part of the Asylum Strategy 2027, they call for faster asylum procedures, quicker reduction of backlogs, greater resilience to fluctuations, and a more binding approach to integration as well as legal adjustments in the area of security.[1] The SRC welcomed the commitment to international refugee protection and an integration-oriented approach. It also welcomed the fact that resilience is to be improved, the outdated emergency concept updated and the concept for revoking S status adapted. At the same time, the SRC criticised the strong focus on defence and deterrence: access to the asylum procedure is to be made more difficult, procedures further accelerated and deportations enforced more strictly. In the SRC’s view, the 2027 asylum strategy should place greater emphasis on refugee protection, for example in relation to legal inequality between refugee groups and the erosion of protection for war refugees. Irregular migration should not only be seen as a problem, but as an opportunity in the context of labour shortages.[2]
- Resettlement: At the end of April 2025, the Swiss government announced an extension of the resettlement program until the end of 2027. However, it committed to accepting only half of the originally planned 800 people per year.[3] For the second half of 2025, 49 individuals were allowed entry, after the program had been on pause since December 2022 (see Legal access to the territory).
- Implementation of the Istanbul Convention: On 26 September 2025, the Federal Council published its second state report on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. The aim of the Convention is to combat violence against women and domestic violence. The SRC points to a significant gap in this report: refugee women and girls who have been victims of violence are only mentioned in passing. Switzerland’s obligations in relation to gender-specific asylum applications and protection against refoulement are not addressed.[4]
- Children from Gaza: Switzerland agreed to take in 20 children from Gaza (out of 4,000 children identified by the WHO in need of urgent medical treatment) for treatment in Switzerland. Seven children and their accompanying person(s) flew in in October 2025. The accompanying person(s) will undergo an asylum procedure in Switzerland.[5]
Asylum procedure
- EU Pact on Asylum and Migration: Changes in the laws: On 7 October 2025, the Federal resolution on the approval and implementation of the exchange of notes between Switzerland and the EU concerning the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2024/1351 on asylum and migration management and Regulation (EU) 2024/1359 on the management of crisis situations and situations of force majeure in the field of migration and asylum of 26 September 2025 was published.[6]
Changes in the regulations: The consultation process regarding changes in different regulations in national law took place in 2025.[7] The SRC participated.[8] - Joint charter for strengthening legal protection in asylum procedures:[9] Six years after the introduction of the new asylum procedure, 13 organisations established joint guidelines for legal protection work for the first time. The charter, initiated by the SRC, aims to strengthen legal protection in asylum proceedings in the long term.[10]
- Early dismissal of asylum applications in cases of failure to appear for fingerprinting was rolled out from the 24-hour procedure to all procedures in summer 2025. A particular problem is that many dismissals occur before asylum applicants have even had the opportunity to contact legal protection services.
- Returns of Afghan men: In March 2025, the SEM announced it would alter its practice regarding men from Afghanistan from mid-April 2025 onwards: although it continues to assume that removal is generally unreasonable, returning non-vulnerable men to Afghanistan is considered reasonable in exceptional cases if the circumstances are favourable. The person concerned must be residing in Switzerland without family, be over the age of 18 and in good health. They must also have a stable and sustainable network of relationships in their home country that enables them to reintegrate socially and find work. Women, families, minors and people with health problems are not affected by this change in the SEM’s practice.[11] The SRC has strongly criticised this change in practice.[12]
- New Iran moratorium: In January 2026, the SEM decided that it will halt negative decisions regarding Iran and only issue decisions that result in asylum or a temporary admission.[13] At the start of the war in March 2026, however, the SEM suspended all asylum decisions for Iranian nationals. The duration of this moratorium depends on the development of the situation on the ground.
- Syria moratorium lifted: Since December 2024, the SEM had suspended asylum applications from Syria. In August 2025, the SEM lifted the moratorium as of 1 September 2025 for vulnerable persons without claims relevant to refugee law and for persons who have committed serious crimes in Switzerland or who pose a threat to Switzerland’s internal or external security (Article 83 (7) FNIA). In May 2026, after 16 months of suspension, the SEM will resume deciding on asylum applications from Syrian nationals.[14] The SRC welcomed this decision, and at the same time spoke out against deportations to Syria as war, violence, and the precarious humanitarian situation continue to make deportations unreasonable.[15]
- Practice regarding victims of gender-based violence: The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has condemned Switzerland in three decisions in July 2025 for ordering the return of women victims of gender-based violence to Greece and Italy. The Committee criticized Swiss asylum authorities for doubting victims’ credibility due to late disclosure of sexual violence and for applying Dublin and “safe third country” returns without a thorough, gender-sensitive individual assessment, including risks of irreparable harm and access to adequate care. CEDAW urged Switzerland to ensure more humane, trauma-informed asylum procedures in line with its recommendations.[16]
- Access to mobile data for identity, nationality or travel route verification: Since 1 April 2025,[17] the law permits immigration officials to access people’s mobile data if it is the only way to verify their identity, nationality or travel route.[18] With this legal base, the SEM started a pilot project in the Federal Asylum Centers of Chiasso and Basel from April until June 2025, which then was prolonged. The aim is to gather additional information before deciding on how to proceed. The findings will be included in a report that is due to be published in 2026. The measure was criticised by the SRC who is very concerned about this disproportionate intrusion into the privacy of asylum applicants. (see Regular procedure).
- Practice and jurisprudence regarding Greece: In 2024, the Swiss authorities issued Dublin decisions to Greece for men from Türkiye. The decisions were appealed, and a reference judgment from the Federal Administrative Court (FAC) followed in June 2025. The FAC sent the cases back to the SEM for them to investigate the situation for asylum seekers in Greece in depth and to take position on whether or not there are systemic deficiencies in the country before ordering a transfer there.[19]
In 2025, a new reference judgement concerning a family with minor children who were recognised as refugees in Greece in August 2024 was published by the FAC,[20] changing the practice regarding families with protection status in Greece. The Court concluded that the situation for families with children who have been granted international protection in Greece remains challenging, particularly with regard to adequate housing and stable accommodation. This circumstance must be taken into account when assessing whether, in the specific case, the presumption of lawfulness or reasonableness of removal enforcement is rebutted and whether the family would, upon removal, face an inhumane situation or a concrete risk situation. However, the FAC stated that families entitled to protection in Greece are expected to make concrete efforts to integrate into the host society. The SRC criticised the judgement and repeated its demand that no vulnerable persons be transferred to Greece.[21]
Returns
- Removals to Afghanistan: To facilitate returns of Afghans with a criminal record, the Swiss government flew in four persons of the Taliban regime to Geneva in August 2025.[22] Specifically, the issue in Geneva concerned eleven Afghan convicted criminals and two voluntary returnees whom the delegation was supposed to identify – as a first step towards issuing travel documents. According to the SEM, the identification process was successful for ‘the majority’ of the 13 Afghans. This collaboration with the Taliban regime was criticised by civil society.
- Removals to Türkiye: Following the change of jurisprudence in 2024,[23] the practice became more restrictive in 2025, more asylum applications based on criminal proceedings in Türkiye were rejected. Some of the persons returned were immediately imprisoned upon arriving in Türkiye. Even with the knowledge of these cases, the SEM kept issuing return decisions for persons claiming asylum grounds based on politically motivated criminal proceedings. The SRC criticised this practice.[24]
- Removals to Iran: The SEM decided in January 2026 that they will suspend the enforcement of removals for all Iranian asylum applicants.[25]
- Removals to Burundi: In 2025, the Swiss authorities attempted to forcibly return rejected asylum seekers to Burundi. In April 2026, several Burundian nationals whose asylum applications had been rejected were returned on a special flight. The SRC called for a suspension of forced return to Burundi as the human rights situation is still worrying.[26]
- Inappropriate practices: The Swiss National Commission for the Prevention of Torture (NCPT) criticized several practices in the returns of former applicants for international protection as not appropriate and inadequate.[27]
Reception conditions
- New and closed asylum centres: In June 2025, the SEM announced that the centre in Les Verrières will be shut down,[28] which was done in November 2025. In July 2025, the SEM announced to open three temporary centres because of the expected seasonal rise in asylum applications. The three military facilities are located in Moudon (200 places), Dübendorf (200 places) and Eigenthal (200 places).[29] From June 2025 until end of 2029, a former Hotel in the Canton of Zurich will be used as a centre for especially vulnerable asylum seekers.[30] In mid-September 2025, the SEM reopened the federal asylum centre in Steckborn, which was temporarily closed in January 2025. It is an underground facility, which has 270 accommodation places. The facility was scheduled to remain in operation until the end of 2025,[31] but was finally closed end of March 2026, together with the other temporary centres opened because of the seasonal rise.[32]
- Pilot project instead of special centres: In December 2025, the SEM announced to start testing a new accommodation concept in a pilot project in federal asylum centres. Asylum seekers whose behaviour disrupts operations will be housed in a separate area within the centres on a trial basis. According to the SEM, this adapted accommodation will allow to make the general areas of the centres more open.[33] A trial for the separate area for men who have attracted negative attention is supposed to be done at the Flumenthal Federal Asylum Centre. If the pilot project proves successful, it could be rolled out across Switzerland. According to the authorities, there are no plans to transfer asylum seekers from other federal asylum centres to Flumenthal.[34]
- External Reporting Office: A Swiss pilot project confirmed the need for a central, independent external reporting mechanism (Externe Meldestelle) to enable asylum seekers and staff to report violence and fundamental rights violations in asylum centres. Following a two-year pilot (2022–2024), the final evaluation recommends a nationwide, independent structure (ideally separate from SEM), improved accessibility and communication, and rapid implementation to effectively prevent and address abuses. The “External Reporting Office” is scheduled to become operational in autumn 2026.[35]
- Living conditions of children: Accommodation of both accompanied and unaccompanied children in federal and cantonal reception centres remain challenging and is not always in keeping with the child’s best interest. The SRC, together with UNICEF, UNHCR and Save the Children published a report to encourage better reception and accommodation standards in all centres receiving children.[36] The SRC also published a position paper on the priority of children’s rights in March 2026.[37]
Content of international protection
- Residence permits: In 2025, asylum status and B-permits were granted to 7,382 persons,[38] 4,589 persons were granted a temporary admission as a foreigner,[39] and 416 persons were granted a temporary admission as a refugee.[40]
- Cessation and withdrawal: In 2025, 5,842 temporary admissions were ceased,[41] and asylum was withdrawn in 173 cases.[42]
- Employment and education: Since the 2024 apprenticeship reform, 2025 continued with key integration tools. Notably, the INVOL/INVOL+ pre‑apprenticeship program (including Status S holders) is extended and piloted until 2027. A national conference in May 2025 focused on improving labour‑market integration of refugees and temporarily admitted persons and a joint SEM–universities pilot project aims to facilitate access of refugees and temporarily admitted persons to higher education over the next four years.[43]
Temporary protection / Status S
The information given hereafter constitutes a short summary of the 2025 Annex on Status S.
- Prolongation of status S: In response to the ongoing instability in Ukraine, the Federal Council has decided at its meeting on 8 October 2025 to maintain protection status S for individuals seeking protection from Ukraine until at least 4 March 2027. Support measures under Programme S, which provides assistance to those holding this status, will also be extended until that date.[44]
- Restriction of the scope of status S: In June 2025, the Federal Council announced that in the future, only people coming from areas in Ukraine, where their lives are in danger, should receive status S.[45] The SEM defined seven regions in western Ukraine, to which a return is in general considered reasonable: people seeking protection from the regions of Volyn, Rivne, Lviv, Ternopil, Transcarpathia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi are generally no longer entitled to a protection status in Switzerland. This rule applies both to new applications and to those submitted before 1 November 2025 that have not yet been decided.[46] In SRC’s view, there are no safe regions in Ukraine.[47]
- Temporary returns to Ukraine: In June 2025, the Federal Council announced that returns to Ukraine will in the future only be allowed for 15 days per half year.[48]
- Employment: In October 2025, the Federal Council announced wanting to promote the employment of persons with status S. To this end, it is offering employers administrative relief. On the other hand, potential employees are to be encouraged to contribute even more to their own gainful employment. Therefore, the Federal Council decided at its meeting on October 22 2025, to bring the amendment to two ordinances into force on 1 December 2025.[49]
[1] FDJP, press release, 28 November 2025, available here. An evaluation of the SRC can be found here in German.
[2] SRC, media release of 28 November 2025, available in French.
[3] SEM, Bundesrat beschliesst Verlängerung des Resettlement-Programms um zwei Jahre, media release of 30 April 2025, available in German, Italian and French; reaction of the SRC, Resettlement stärken und Kontingente ausschöpfen, media release of 30 April 2025, available in German and French.
[4] SRC, media release of 13 October 2025, Die Schweiz vernachlässigt geflüchtete Frauen im Bericht zur Istanbul-Konvention, available in German here.
[5] SEM, media release of 24 October 2025, Verletzte Kinder werden für medizinische Behandlungen aus dem Gazastreifen evakuiert, available in German.
[6] See Fedlex, BBl 2025 2902 – Bundesbeschluss, available here.
[7] SEM, information, Verordnungsanpassungen aufgrund der Übernahme des EU-Migrations- und Asylpakts, available in German here.
[8] SRC, Verordnungsanpassungen aufgrund der Übernahme des EU-Migrations- und Asylpakts, Vernehmlassungsanwort, 13 October 2025, available in German here.
[9] Available in German and French.
[10] SRC, media release of 2 December 2025, available in German.
[11] More information on this can be found in English here.
[12] SRC, media release of 2 April 2025 in German and French.
[13] SRF, Staatssekretariat für Migration vollzieht vorerst keine Wegweisungen nach Iran, 25 January 2026, available in German here.
[14] SEM, media release of 17 April 2026, available in English.
[15] SRC, media release of 17 April 2026, available in German.
[16] CEDAW, Communication no. 172/2021, 2 July 2025; Communication no. 169/2021, 4 July; Communication no. 171/2021, 4 July 2025; the decisions are all available here
[17] Federal Council, media release of 1 May 2024 available in French, German and Italian.
[18] The SRC and UNHCR criticised the measure as disproportionate and an assault on privacy rights: SRC, media release of 15 September 2021, Le Parlement restreint encore les droits fondamentaux des personnes en quête de protection, (available in French and German), see also the communication of ECRE of 8 October 2024, available in English here.
[19] FAC, media release, 27 June 2026, available in English.
[20] FAC, D-2590/2025, 11 September 2025.
[21] SRC, media release of 2 October 2025, available in German.
[22] SRF, Taliban-Regierungsbeamte in der Schweiz – für Rückschaffungen, 22 August 2025, available in German here.
[23] FAC, E-1308/2023, 19 March 2024; FAC, E-4103/2024, 15 November 2024.
[24] SRF, Von der Schweiz abgewiesen – in der Türkei inhaftiert, 4 December 2025, available in German here.
[25] SRF, Staatssekretariat für Migration vollzieht vorerst keine Wegweisungen nach Iran, 25 January 2026, available in German here.
[26] SRC, media release of 24 April 2026, available in French.
[27] NKVF, Rückführungen auf dem Luftweg, Ausländerrechtliches Vollzugsmonitoring, Januar bis Dezember 2024, Bericht und Stellungnahme, 1 April 2025, available in German here.
[28] SEM, media release, 27 June 2025, available in French.
[29] SEM, media release, 9 July 2025, available in French.
[30] SEM, media release of 30 January 2025, available in German.
[31] SEM, media release of 21 Augus 2025, available in German.
[32] SEM, media release of 10 March 2026, available in French.
[33] SEM, media release of 17 December 2025, available in French.
[34] 20 Minuten, Asylzentrum Flumenthal: SEM trennt auffällige Männer in Pilotprojekt ab, 10 March 2026, available in German here.
[35] The call for it was published on 12 January 2026 and can be found here in French; the approach of the SEM was critisised by Solidarité sans frontières, media release of 21 January 2026 available in French. On 1 May 2026, the SEM announced having awarded the Swiss Workers’ Relief Organisation (SAH) for running the External Reporting Office, beginning in autumn 2026, see SEM, media release, 1 May 2026, available in French.
[36] UNICEF et al., Protection-seeking children in collective shelters, 2025, available here.
[37] Available in German and French.
[38] SEM, asylum statistics (7-40), available here.
[39] Ibid.
[40] Ibid.
[41] Ibid.
[42] SEM, asylum statistics (7-10), available here.
[43] For more information, see Employment and education.
[44] SEM, media release, 8 October 2025, available in English.
[45] SEM, media release, 25 June 2025, available in French.
[46] SEM, media release, 2 April 2026, available in German here.
[47] SRC, media release of 15 August 2025, available in German.
[48] SEM, media release, Schutzstatus S soll angepasst werden, 25 June 2025, available in German here.
[49] SEM, press release, 22 October 2025, available in French.