Switzerland launches crackdown on Ukrainian migrants

Bern has tightened asylum seeker rules in response to demands from parliament

Switzerland has announced it will now only extend asylum status to Ukrainian migrants from regions in close proximity to the front line, following pressure from lawmakers.

From November 1, new Ukrainian asylum seekers will only be granted 'S' protection status if their last place of residence was close to the line of contact in the conflict, the Swiss Federal Council said in a statement on Wednesday. Such status allows foreigners to travel abroad and return to Switzerland without a travel permit.

“When granting temporary protection, a distinction is now made between regions to which return is considered reasonable and unreasonable,” it said in a statement.

The western Ukrainian regions of Volyn, Rovno, Lviv, Ternopol, Transcarpathia, Ivano-Frankovsk, and Chernovtsy were listed as “reasonable” for refugees to return to.

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The government agreed to continue extending asylum to other Ukrainian refugees until March 4, 2027, to stay in lockstep with other Schengen Area states.

The decision follows other European countries’ moves to tighten support for Ukrainians. Last month, Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed a bill that tightened rules for Ukrainian migrants on welfare.

Under the new measure, only refugees who can prove that at least one parent is employed and their children are enrolled in school are eligible for child support benefits. The move also limits other welfare programs to Ukrainians that work.

READ MORE: Poland cuts off cash to idle Ukrainians

The new rules end “tourism from Ukraine at the expense of Polish taxpayers,” the head of the president’s office, Zbigniew Bogucki, said.

Germany and Finland have also proposed to slash benefits to Ukrainian migrants this year.