People with a university degree are given preference for naturalization
Published: Thursday, May 23rd 2024, 11:10
Updated At: Thursday, May 23rd 2024, 11:10
Retour au fil d'actualité
Highly qualified people have been naturalized significantly more often since the introduction of the new Citizenship Act. In contrast, the number of naturalized citizens with lower qualifications has fallen. These are the findings of a study conducted by the Universities of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Basel.
During the period under review, around a third of naturalized citizens had a university degree under the old naturalization law. According to the Federal Commission on Migration (FCM), which commissioned the study, this figure has risen to almost two thirds under the new law. The proportion of people who had no further education fell from 23.8 to 8.5 percent.
According to the study, the figures are a consequence of the significantly more restrictive legal requirements introduced in 2018 with the new Citizenship Act for naturalization. Now, only people who have lived in Switzerland for at least ten years and have a permanent residence permit are admitted to the procedure. Applicants must also meet the newly introduced integration criteria.
Language skills and economic independence are particularly high hurdles. It is more difficult for less qualified and less well-off people to acquire the necessary written and spoken language skills. According to the study, they also run a higher risk of having to receive welfare benefits.
Cantons exploit scope for action
On the other hand, the results of the EKM study are also a consequence of the cantons' room for maneuver. According to the study, there are major differences between the cantons in terms of the selectivity of naturalizations. At a regulatory level, five cantons have increased the language proficiency requirements. These go beyond the federal requirements. A third of the cantons have increased the requirements for the reimbursement of social welfare benefits.
Municipalities are also given a great deal of autonomy in implementing the legal requirements. Under cantonal law, those responsible for naturalization in the communes of residence check whether applicants are integrated and familiar with Swiss living conditions. According to the FCM, this leads to a privileged treatment of highly qualified and well-off people.
Study suggests more inclusive naturalization
The study proposes approaches for a fundamental realignment of citizenship rights. The authors of the study propose an uncomplicated, standardized and transparent procedure for everyone. In addition, people who were born and raised in Switzerland should have a right to naturalization. According to the FCM, access to citizenship should be designed in such a way that it serves the integration of society as a whole.
The study "Ordentlich einbürgern in der Schweiz" (Naturalizing properly in Switzerland) sheds light on the first three years since the introduction of the new Citizenship Act 2018. During this period, naturalizations were carried out under both the old and the new law, depending on when the application was submitted.
©Keystone/SDA
French 
English 
German 
Spanish 
Arabic