North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing

The 24-hour procedure for asylum applications from North African countries with no prospect of success at the Federal Asylum Centre in Zurich has proved its worth, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Applications from these countries fell by 40% in the first half of the year since the procedure was introduced. Since the end of April, the federal government has been applying the accelerated procedure nationwide. The acceptance rate for applications from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya is around 1%. The 24-hour procedure ensures that these people, who in the vast majority of cases have to leave Switzerland, do not place an unnecessary burden on the country, as the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) announced on Friday. + Why Switzerland is piloting a 24-hour asylum procedure for North Africans Since November 2023, most asylum applications from these countries have been processed at the Federal Asylum Centre in Zurich. According to the SEM, this centre has ...