New housing rules in Switzerland that you must know

Most asylum procedures now must be completed within 140 days at federal asylum seekers' centres. This is compared to an average of 280 days in 2015.

The reform was adopted by two thirds of Swiss voters in the spring of 2016.

As of March 1st, asylum demands will mainly be processed in the new federal asylum seekers' centres instead of cantons. About 80% of the accommodation capacities are ready, the justice ministry said in a press release Thursday, albinfo.ch conveys.

The asylum seekers will be distributed only to the cantons if further investigation is required. These lengthy procedures should be completed within a year, according to new legal provisions.

Free legal advice for asylum seekers has been included in reforms trying to ensure that procedures are still fair, despite being faster.

Asylum seekers will now be eligible for free legal support from day one. This will be provided by nongovernmental organisations, which are then repaid by federal authorities. The Swiss Council for Refugees backs the new measures, but some organisations including Swiss Democratic Jurists and the Social Centre protest that new agreements go against their ethics and independence.

The justice ministry says the new procedures will enable the integration of recognised refugees and more quickly accepted temporary persons, but also to return more quickly to those who are not dependent on Swiss protection”.

He says a pilot test in Zurich since 2014 has cut asylum procedures by one third. The number of complaints has also dropped by one third, and three times as many asylum seekers have voluntarily returned to their country.