Switzerland to Prioritize Visa Applications of Earthquake Victims

The Swiss authorities will expedite visa applications for victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. They can temporarily be hosted by close relatives.

Swiss media reports that a valid visa is required to enter the country. However, some cases may allow for an exemption. According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, people who have lost their homes will need to present urgent medical documentation to be eligible for the fast-track visa process.

This exception, which is an extraordinary measure in the law of Schengen, will not affect visa applications. The procedure is available to all interested parties at the Swiss consulate in Istanbul.

In order to assist the Consulate General Istanbul in processing visa applications, the Swiss government will send additional staff to Turkey. They want to make sure that visa applications for earthquake victims who have close relatives are processed quickly to allow them to move to Switzerland faster.

Two of the top ten countries from which migrants arrive in Switzerland are Turkey and Syria. According to the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration data, 552 temporary protection applications were received in October. In contrast, Syrians submitted 79 asylum requests.

It is estimated that around 120,000 Turkish-born people live in Switzerland. Data from Asylum Information Database, (AIDA), show that Turks are the second largest nationality group that seeks international protection through 2021.

In particular, 2,330 international protection applications were filed by Syrian citizens. 817 of these were pending while 1,444 received the protection status. 140 were granted temporary admission, while 224 were denied. The asylum rate for Turkish citizens is 85 percent, while temporary admission rates are six percent. The rejection rates for applications from this nationality group is also low at ten percent.

According to the same source, Syria ranks fourth in terms of country of origin for applicants seeking international security in Switzerland. With 1,024 Syrian citizens submitting applications, Syria is fourth in the list of countries of origin for most 2021 applications.

600 of these applicants received a positive decision, while 214 more were still pending. These rates have increased to 39% by the addition of temporary admissions, which reached 379. The asylum rate for Syrians was 57%, while the rejection rates are at 7 percent.

 

Source: schengenvisainfo.com