Switzerland witnessed an increase in the number of deportations, with a total of 5,742 individuals leaving the country last year.
According to the latest data provided by the Swiss State Secretariat of Migration (SEM), this figure marked a significant increase of 19.6 per cent compared to the previous year.
Most of the deportees were asylum seekers whose applications had been rejected and who were denied temporary admission or considered responsible for asylum processing by another European country.
SEM’s figures reveal that the rise in departures was evident in both categories, including returns to their countries of origin that rose by 11.5 per cent, while Dublin transferred with a total of 28.3 per cent.
Despite Italy’s decision to indefinitely suspend the admission of individuals to the Dublin system, the number of transfers under this agreement increased.
Switzerland’s departure-entry ratio under the Dublin system tripled during the past year compared to the 2:1 ratio of the previous year. This increase occurred even though transfers to Italy, a prominent Dublin destination, were banned during this period.
Of the total 5,742 individuals who were deported from Switzerland (excluding Ukraine), 2,023 individuals, representing 35.2 per cent, chose to leave voluntarily, while 3,719 individuals, representing 64.8 per cent, were repatriated.
In addition, most of the deportees returned to countries such as Algeria (474), Türkiye (363), and Georgia (362).
SEM achieved important steps in increasing cooperation on returns during the same year, especially with Algeria and Iraq. As a result, the same organised special individual flights to these two nations for deported individuals who could not return voluntarily and for whom repatriation via scheduled flights was unavailable.
In addition, 10,978 persons with protection status S also voluntarily returned to Ukraine. Overall, the number of people leaving Switzerland in 2023 was 16,720 people.
Despite the apparent increase in new asylum applications, the SEM successfully maintained stability in the number of pending departures in 2023, thanks to a further increase in the overall number of departures.
By the end of the year, the number of pending returns was 4,162, an increase of just one per cent over the previous year. In contrast, after 2022, there were 4,119 pending returns, underscoring the effectiveness of SEM in managing departures amid increased asylum activities.
