After 30 years Switzerland drives its family away to Macedonia

For years, the family of D.* (57) had resisted deportation, even taking the case twice to the Federal Court. But without success. The six-member family has already been living in northern Macedonia for over four months.

We don't have anything here and we're sitting on our relatives. My children have no future here. They neither know the country nor speak the language properly”, says D.

The 57-year-old had come to Switzerland 30 years earlier. Eight years later his wife had joined him. We got married and had four kids. Our life here was good”, he says, writes 20 minutes.ch.

But when his wife became seriously ill, he had to leave his job and care for the children. Because the couple, already living in social aid, accumulated more and more debts and D. had been contrary to the law, authorities removed his wife's permanent permission (Viza C) and permission to stay (Viza B).

Eventually, the family was asked to leave the country. And in spite of the fact that doctors had warned that it did not lead to expulsion because of the woman's unstable mental state. That's what the documents you have in 20 minutes show.

I don't understand why my children have to pay for my mistakes”

The worst thing here is, together with the couple, his children also had to leave Switzerland. His oldest daughter still had the opportunity to start a professional practice just before the expulsion. With the practice, she would have received a good education and would soon have been able to independence”.

He now hopes to find a way for his children, 12 and 20 years old, to return to Switzerland. I don't understand why my children have to pay for my mistakes”, says D. This is inhuman. They were born in Switzerland, there's their homeland. They're not happy here and they really want to go back to”.

Anxiety Rejected by the Federal Court

According to a Federal Court ruling, D. It has been convicted several times, including for counterfeiting documents and violating the traffic law, broadcast albinfo.ch. In 2008, migration authorities had also discovered that the shale debts had grown massively. After the situation had deteriorated further, D. His permanent permission (Visa C) and did not extend his residence (B) to his wife.

In addition, she decided on the expulsion of her family from Switzerland. A complaint against this was rejected by the Administrative Court and the Federal Supreme Court in 2015. The migration office did not respond to a request for review or demand for difficulties for the older girl. Furthermore, in 2021 the Administrative Court and the Federal Court rejected an appeal against him.

Options for Children's Return

Despite all of that, there is still a hope for the return of children to Switzerland. So says Mark Spescha, a well-known lawyer and foreign rights expert. It is not impossible for children to return one day. However, they will have to overcome significant obstacles. They would be accepted as job migrants from a so-called third country only if they were highly qualified and the lack of qualified workers in the respective sector” would be found.