The Swiss Federal Council has published a report examining the application of the status of temporary admission. The report found that temporary admission negatively impacted beneficiaries’ access to rights and integration in practice. Temporary admission is a national protection status in Switzerland, different from subsidiary protection provided in the EU asylum acquis.
In June 2016, Switzerland reported a total 34,741 persons benefitting from temporary admission and 43,300 with refugee status. .Temporary admission is more precarious design than refugee status. Holders of the status have limited access to rights of residence, labour market participation, family reunification and travel.
However, limiting access to rights may create problems given that the vast majority of beneficiaries of temporary admission status stay for long periods of time in Switzerland. This makes the status a hurdle to their successful integration.
In order to prevent temporary admission holders from undue discrimination compared to refugees, the Swiss Refugee Council calls for granting more rights to holders of temporary admission status, including easier access to the labour market, family reunification and travel. Beyond Switzerland, differential treatment between protection statuses has been the subject of debate in the EU. Whereas practice has shown that refugees and subsidiary protection beneficiaries can be displaced for equally long periods of time and have similar protection needs, the Commission proposal for a Qualification Regulation maintains unjustifiable distinctions in the rights afforded to the two statuses of protection in the EU.
For more information, see:
- Swiss Federal Council, Temporary admission: Analysis and actions, October 2016
- AIDA, Asylum on the clock? Duration and review of international protection status in Europe, June 2016
- AIDA, Country Report Switzerland: First Update, October 2015