Last year, Switzerland sent more than 7,000 asylum seekers back to their country of origin, which is around 18% more than the year before, reported RTS.
The figure was revealed by Beat Jans, the Swiss minister in charge of asylum, in conversations at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week.
With a rate of nearly 60% Switzerland probably holds the European record for returning failed asylum seekers. Asked how Switzerland has achieved the high rate, Jans put forward a number of reasons. Pressure on Switzerland’s cantons to increase the number was one. Another was the hard work done by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) to ensure the necessary documents were obtained. Agreements with transit and source countries have also helped. Switzerland now has 66 agreements.
The minister did not go into further detail on the recent returns. However, according to the newspaper Aargauer Zeitung, a large number of those returned were sent back to Algeria, a nation with which Switzerland signed a return agreement in 2006. The Federal Parliament recently voted in favour of requesting a return agreement with Morocco, another source of asylum seeker with a low rate of valid applications.
Jens expects fewer arrivals this year. The progress made in returning those who don’t qualify for asylum may make Switzerland a less attractive destination.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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