Asylum demands drop away

Asylum requests in Switzerland have fallen by almost by a third during the first six months of the year when compared to figures for the same period of 2012. Officials say that they are at a loss to explain why, but do not expect the trend to continue.

Asylum requests in Switzerland have fallen by almost by a third during the first six months of the year when compared to figures for the same period of 2012. Officials say that they are at a loss to explain why, but do not expect the trend to continue.

Between January and June, 11,205 people filed asylum claims, mostly from Tunisia, Nigeria and Eritrea according to the Federal Office for Migration .
 
The office said in a statement the 30.6 percent was «unusual», notably because the rate of decline picked up pace with each passing month. The spring months normally see a rise in numbers, and claims across Europe have risen by ten per cent over the same period.
 
The decline, although regular over the past few months, is not considered a trend so far by officials, who warn that numbers could rise again in the coming months. Office spokesman Michael Glauser told Swiss public television SRF that the number of asylum seekers transiting via the Mediterranean is expected to go up for example.

New legislation

The office did not say whether Switzerland’s change of stance on military deserters may have convinced asylum seekers to turn elsewhere. Under the latest revision of Switzerland’s asylum legislation, accepted by voters in June, desertion is no longer a reason for granting safe haven.
 
Desertion has been notably cited by Eritreans, whose homeland imposes unlimited military service, with low wages, on all able-bodied men and women, as grounds for their asylum requests.
 
Some 48,000 people are currently in the process of seeking asylum in Switzerland, including over 28,000 who arrived in 2012, a 10-year record.
 
Last year’s increase, attributed in part to the Arab Spring uprisings, took Switzerland back to a level last seen in the wake of the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
 
Processing of asylum claims has been a sore point in recent years, taking years in some cases, although the government is seeking ways to speed up the paperwork. Less than 12 per cent of those whose applications were treated last year were granted the right to stay in Switzerland.

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