The Swiss authorities have been instructed to study the legal, organizational and procedural issues in connection with the possible abolition of the S status for refugees from Ukraine in the future. About this writing portal Swissinfo.
On March 12, 2022, Switzerland activated the S protection status for the first time, aiming to provide prompt and minimally bureaucratic protection to persons who were forced to leave Ukraine. It should be emphasized that the S status was not intended for long-term stay in Switzerland.
The Swiss government’s official press release states that it is difficult to predict when the conflict in Ukraine will end and when refugees will be able to safely return to their homeland. Meanwhile, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), together with the cantons, has developed an interim plan to abolish S status. This document forms the basis for future policy in this area.
The plan identifies operational measures and provides recommendations on a number of other issues, including the timing of departure, reimbursements and return arrangements. Once the S status is officially revoked, all of these recommendations will be reviewed and, if necessary, adjusted.
In November last year, the Swiss government decided to keep the S protection status until March 2024, unless the situation in Ukraine stabilizes on a long-term basis. This issue will be reviewed by the government in the coming weeks.
According to the most recent SEM information published online on Friday, 65,650 Ukrainian citizens currently have S status in Switzerland. Meanwhile, for 16,869 people, this status has already ended.
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