Key announcement for Kosovars receiving social assistance in Switzerland

The new law on foreigners and integration (AIG) is in effect for two years as its paragraphs make life difficult for those who have been hit hard, people who, without their blame, depend on social assistance.

AIG predicts the so-called status decrease, writes brick.ch. Thus, cantonal migration offices, based on it, have the possibility of converting permanent five-year-old residence permit (Viza C) to B permission, for example. The latter, as it is known, must be renovated annually.

Social aid exploitation is a criterion that, according to AIG, justifys reducing the level of foreign status in Switzerland. In extreme cases, there is even the danger of deportation.

“We are aware of a number of cases in which receiving social assistance without their blame has led to lowering the status rate or even losing residence permit”, says Noémi Weber, the director of the Swiss Survey Office for Asylum and Foreign (SBAA).

As an example, it tells of a 60-year-old scheme builder from Portugal who lost his job after twelve years. As a person in poor health, he can no longer find a new job and is thus forced to receive social assistance. As a result, the Migration Office revotes residence permits. A timely appeal annuls the decision at the right time.

According to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), the cantons have conducted 313 reductions in foreign status since 2019. But social aid exploitation is not always the crucial factor; lack of language skills also happens to be one of the reasons.

However, “foreign status reductions are very widespread”, says Noémi Weber, transfer albinfo.ch.ch. “However, authorities usually do not present the reasons for this”.

So a search is often to be done in the dark.

Nacioanle MP Samira Marty (27, PS) calls for a parliamentary initiative not to reduce status for foreigners who have lived long and consistently in Switzerland.

We are talking about people who were born here or who have lived, worked and paid taxes here for decades”, says Marty, conveys albinfo.ch. “If you're not lucky and you're sick, you have an accident or you lose your job, you risk being expelled from your home (state)”.

SP, SBA and Unia Union have founded alliance “Poverty is not a crime”. This 65-member union has called on parliament to give up the criticism mentioned.

But it seems the trend is going in the other direction. The consultation process for toughing the situation for people from third countries is expected to be opened soon.