In 2019, 14,269 persons applied for asylum in Switzerland, 986 fewer than in 2018. The main reasons for this fluctuation were the further decline in migration across the central Mediterranean route and the ongoing agreement between the EU and Turkey. For 2020, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) forecasts between 13,000 and 17,000 new asylum applications.

Main countries of origin

Eritrea was once again the top country of origin (2,899 applications), followed by Afghanistan (1,397 applications), Turkey (1,287 applications) and Syria (1,100 applications).

Asylum applications processed in the first instance

SEM processed 19,140 asylum applications in the first instance. Of these, 5,551 persons were granted asylum, a recognition rate of 31.2% (2018: 25.9%). The protection rate (proportion of cases where asylum or temporary admission was granted following first-instance decisions) totalled 59.3% (2018: 60.8%). 8,377 asylum applications are currently pending at the first-instance level, 3,217 fewer than at the end of 2018.

In 2019, 1,631 persons left Switzerland voluntarily (2018: 1,613), 2,985 persons were returned either to their country of origin or a third country (2018: 3,266), and 1,521 persons were sent back to a Dublin member state (2018: 1,560).

Accelerated procedure

The new Asylum Act, which provides for accelerated procedures, has been in force since 1 March 2019. By the end of the year, 5,837 asylum applications had been processed under the new system. Of these, 3,525 cases were processed under the accelerated procedure and 492 cases under the extended procedure. A further 1,656 cases were dealt with under the Dublin readmission procedure and 164 cases under a separate readmission procedure.

Resettlement

On 9 December 2016, Switzerland agreed to take in up to 2,000 victims of the Syrian conflict within a timeframe of two years. From January to April 2019, 397 persons requiring protection arrived in Switzerland under this scheme, bringing the total number of admitted refugees to 1,993 and thus fulfilling the quota.

With a view to continuing Switzerland’s commitment to resettle persons in need of protection, the Federal Council decided on 30 November 2018 to grant protection to a maximum of 800 further refugees within one year. By the end of 2019, 617 persons had been admitted under this quota. The remaining 180 refugees will arrive in Switzerland in spring 2020.

Outlook for 2020

Under the most probable scenario, SEM expects between 13,000 and 17,000 new asylum applications in 2020. Given the numerous trouble spots in the Middle East and on the African continent, the potential for migration remains high. It is therefore possible that the number of asylum applications will increase once again.