The Swiss Federal Council decided to leave the special protection status of S for Ukrainian refugees until March 2026, confirming their readiness to provide support and assistance for integration in the country. This decision was made at a meeting on September 4.
The status of protection S, which has been operating since March 2022, gives Ukrainian refugees the right to avoid the procedure for obtaining asylum and provides access to housing, financial support and medical care. Currently, about 66,000 Ukrainians enjoy this status in Switzerland. About 2500 applications have been rejected from the moment of implementation of the status and more than 26 thousand statuses have been canceled.
The Federal Council noted that the security situation in Ukraine will not improve in the near future, so the status will remain in force until March 4, 2026. The state authorities will carry out careful verification of the applicants' documents for granting the status of S and its cancellation, which will maintain a high level of control.
In addition to the continuation of the status, the Switzerland government also announced the continuation of the integration of Ukrainian refugees into the Swiss labor market. These measures, which began in April 2022 and were strengthened in May this year, aimed at facilitating refugee adaptation to the new environment and promoting their integration into society.
It is worth noting that in June, the upper house of the Swiss Parliament voted for restricting the right to protection of S only for natives from the occupied territories or regions where active fighting is underway. However, according to the latest decision of the Federal Council, nothing is changing for Ukrainian refugees, and they will be able to continue to use the support provided by S. Protection Status.
