MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –
Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in French
State Secretariat for Migration
Bern-Wabern, 21.09.2024 – Since the introduction of the 24-hour procedure in the Zurich Region in November 2023, the number of asylum seekers from the Maghreb states has fallen by 42% in the federal asylum centres. Thanks to the new procedures, the average time to obtain an asylum decision at first instance has been reduced from 52 days to 17 days. This significantly reduces the pressure on the Confederation’s asylum structures. The number of security incidents in the federal asylum centres has also fallen by 42%.
Since the end of April 2024, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has been processing asylum applications filed by applicants from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya under the 24-hour procedure. The main stages of the procedure are completed within 24 hours, with free legal protection remaining guaranteed at all times. This procedure also allows asylum seekers to consult a health professional at very short notice, which makes it possible to quickly identify vulnerable people. Given that the majority of people from these countries have already been registered in other European states, the SEM can request their readmission under the Dublin Agreement much more quickly than before; once this request has been accepted, repatriation can be carried out.
Half of asylum decisions are made within 11 days
Since the 24-hour procedure was introduced on a trial basis in the Zurich Region in mid-November 2023 for asylum seekers from countries with very low asylum grant rates, the number of applicants from Maghreb states has fallen by 42% in the Confederation’s structures. This decline has even reached 64% in the Zurich Region. Since the introduction of the new procedures, it takes an average of 17 days to obtain an asylum decision at first instance, and 50% of procedures are completed within 11 days, compared to an average of 52 days previously. Once the SEM has completed the procedural steps, it still has to wait for a response, within a given period, from the Dublin States concerned.
In parallel with the acceleration of procedures, the average length of stay of Maghrebi asylum seekers in the CFA has decreased from 32 nights between May and August 2023 to 21 nights between May and August 2024, a decrease of 34%. As a result, the SEM has more beds available and supervisory staff at its disposal for asylum seekers from other States who can claim a situation of persecution.
Since the 24-hour procedure was introduced in the Zurich Region in November 2023, the number of security incidents – including altercations of all kinds – has also decreased by 42% in all CFAs. The security situation has therefore improved significantly. In 2023 and 2024, around two thirds of security incidents were mainly attributable to asylum seekers from the Maghreb, even though this group accounted for less than 15% of overnight stays.
Federal Administrative Court supports SEM decisions
The 24-hour procedure is a normal asylum procedure in which the steps follow one another at a fast pace. Free legal protection is guaranteed at all times. To date, the SEM has decided on more than 900 asylum applications under this procedure, and 37 appeals have been filed with the Federal Administrative Court (FAC) against its decisions. In 31 cases, the FAC supported the SEM’s decision; the remaining cases have not yet been decided.
The 24-hour procedure includes registration, fingerprinting, initial medical consultation, absconding hearing or Dublin interview, application to other Dublin states and decision in the Dublin procedure or asylum procedure.
Increase in the number of registered asylum applications
The number of asylum applications filed by persons from the Maghreb States has barely changed compared to the previous year. However, since the introduction of the 24-hour procedure, the SEM has been registering these applications immediately after the persons’ arrival at the CFA, whereas previously it only did so when fingerprints were taken, which was often several days later. However, many of the persons concerned had already left by that time and therefore did not appear as asylum seekers in the asylum statistics.
Address for sending questions
SEM Press Service, medien@sem.admin.ch
Author
State Secretariat for Migrationhttps://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/fr/home.html
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.
