Asylum Decision-Making in Switzerland

Author(s) : Laura Affolter

Source : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61512-3_3

Abstract:

“This chapter provides an outline of how the Swiss asylum procedure works. It contextualises the current asylum procedure within the history of asylum politics in Switzerland since the 1950s and within broader global developments. Three major trends are discussed: the sharp decline of the recognition rate since the 1980s and with it the emergence of the so-called “fight against abuse”, the proliferation of legal categories and the frequent changes made to asylum law in this same time period, and the development of an ever more specialised asylum administration in Switzerland. The chapter introduces readers to the Swiss Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and its organisational structure as it existed until 2019, the main elements of asylum law that structure SEM officials’ decision-making and to the particular standard of proof in refugee status determination.”

Keywords: Asylum law, Asylum politics, Organisational history, Organisational structure, Standard of proof, Swiss Asylum Act