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From May, First Syrian Asylum Seekers Will Be Sent Home – In Reality, Most Will Stay for a Long Time
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Conflict & Security

From May, First Syrian Asylum Seekers Will Be Sent Home – In Reality, Most Will Stay for a Long Time

From Neue Zürcher Zeitung · (6d ago) German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will resume processing asylum applications from Syrian nationals starting May 1.
  • This decision follows an assessment that general violence is no longer prevalent in all regions of Syria, based on a November reconnaissance mission.
  • The SEM's practice change aligns with other European countries, including Germany, which have also deemed return to Syria possible.

Switzerland is set to resume processing asylum applications from Syrian nationals beginning May 1, marking a significant shift in its immigration policy. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) announced that it no longer considers the situation in all regions of Syria to be one of general violence, a conclusion drawn from a reconnaissance mission conducted in November.

From May 1, the SEM will again decide on applications from Syrian asylum seekers.

— State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)Announcing the change in asylum processing policy for Syrian nationals.

This policy adjustment means that asylum decisions can once again be made for Syrian applicants, and rejected cases may lead to deportations. The SEM's decision is in line with a broader European trend, with figures like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently stating that returns to Syria are now feasible. This coordinated approach suggests a growing international consensus on the changing security landscape within Syria.

While the SEM has been processing some asylum claims since September, these were primarily for vulnerable individuals not seeking refugee status. The new directive broadens the scope, allowing for the resumption of full asylum application reviews. However, the SEM emphasizes that deportations will only occur in regions deemed safe and where individuals will not face existential threats upon return, with individual circumstances remaining paramount.

In Syria, a situation of general violence no longer prevails everywhere.

— State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)Justifying the decision to resume asylum application processing.

The implications for the approximately 28,000 Syrians residing in Switzerland are significant. While the SEM maintains that each case will be assessed individually, the resumption of deportations, even to specific regions, raises concerns about the safety and well-being of those being sent back. The Swiss government's decision reflects a complex balancing act between humanitarian considerations and migration management, influenced by evolving geopolitical assessments and international cooperation.

A return to Syria is now possible.

— Friedrich MerzGerman Chancellor, indicating a shift in European policy towards Syria.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Neue Zürcher Zeitung in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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