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In the trial, a decision is made on the applications in one day; The aim is to have a signaling effect. The feasibility remains questionable.
A new asylum process is being tested in Zurich: a 24-hour procedure. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) first confirmed to the “Tagesanzeiger” that a corresponding pilot test began last week.
The fast-track procedures are used for people from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Over 20 percent of asylum seekers come from these countries. And this despite the fact that only around two percent of these people are recognized as refugees in Switzerland. One possible reason: Many people from other African countries list Libya as their country of origin.
Despite the fast-track procedure, many of those affected will probably not leave after one day. Identifying the possible procurement of papers takes time, and appeals remain possible.
However, the quick procedure is intended to reduce the number of asylum applications: the aim is to send a signal to people who usually have no prospect of protection in Switzerland, the SEM told SRF.
The logic: If these generally unfounded requests were not received, the federal asylum centers would be relieved and places would be freed up for people who really needed protection. How these 24-hour procedures actually work will be tested as part of the pilot project until the end of February 2024.
The fast-track procedures have shown that people are more likely to forego applying for asylum.
“In principle, of course, any person can apply for asylum with us,” explains SEM media spokesman Daniel Bach. “Our goal is to ensure that those who really have no prospect of asylum or temporary admission do not apply for asylum here at all.”
“The (previous) fast-track procedures have already shown that people who cannot stay in a federal asylum center for a long time are more likely to forego applying for asylum,” said Bach.
Don’t people just go into hiding? “Switzerland can only ensure that we have those people in the asylum system who are really persecuted and need protection,” explains Bach.
Increasing risk of wrong decisions?
The destination country would not be selected based on the asylum procedure anyway, says Eliane Engeler. She is the media spokesperson for the Swiss Refugee Aid (SFH), an umbrella organization for aid agencies and organizations active in the areas of flight and asylum. “The fact is that family relationships, communities, language and cultural proximity are the main factors in deciding where to apply for asylum.”
The procedures are now being accelerated again to save space.
“It’s actually a problem of space in the federal asylum centers,” says Engeler. “The procedures are now being accelerated again to save space.” This would endanger the rights of refugees. Because it seems “unrealistic to be able to fairly clarify the facts of an asylum application at such a speed” – for example when identifying particularly vulnerable people who are severely traumatized.
The refugee aid organization demands: “An external evaluation is required for every pilot test in order to be able to assess the effect of the measure as well as the impact on the refugees and legal protection,” says Engeler.
Bach, in turn, makes it clear: “This procedure is actually no different from a normal asylum procedure. It’s just extremely compressed.” According to SEM, the procedure remains constitutional, correct and fair.