Federal government does not want double welfare subsidies for refugees
Published: Friday, Jun 14th 2024, 13:00
Zurück zu Live Feed
The Federal Council wants to avoid double subsidies to social welfare in cases of subsequently recognized refugee status. If temporarily admitted persons are recognized as refugees, the subsidies already paid out are to be taken into account.
In addition, the existing practice regarding emergency aid lump sums for persons not granted protection status S is to be regulated in the ordinance. On Friday, the Federal Council submitted these amendments to the Asylum Ordinance on financing issues for consultation by October 9.
The need to avoid duplicate social welfare situations arose from the change in practice by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) in favor of Afghan women and girls, as the state government announced.
Since June 2023, the SEM has generally granted them asylum on a case-by-case basis. Afghan women who were temporarily admitted to Switzerland before the new practice are also granted refugee status upon request.
For recognized refugees, the federal government pays the cantons the social welfare costs for a maximum of five years by means of global lump sums. In the case of temporarily admitted persons, it pays the lump sum for a maximum of seven years.
If temporary admission changes to refugee status, the five-year period begins anew under current law, as the Federal Council explained. This applies regardless of the contributions already paid during temporary admission.
The Federal Council now wants to amend the Asylum Ordinance so that the global lump sums previously paid out are offset against the five-year period. This would mean that the cantons would no longer receive the lump sum for a further five years for the same person in the event of a change of status and the federal government would be spared high additional costs.
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic