Skip to main content

National Asylum Developments Database

 

The National Asylum Developments Database presents legislative, institutional and policy developments related to asylum since 2018.

Searches can be narrowed down by:

  • Country
  • Year
  • Type of development: legislative, institutional or policy 
  • Thematic area: access to procedure, access to information, legal assistance and representation, interpretation services, special procedures, procedures at first instance, reception of applicants for international protection, detention, procedures at second instance, country of origin information, statelessness in the asylum context, content of protection, return of former applicants, resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes.

Details on each development and further analysis can be consulted in the Asylum Report series.
 

Types of policies and practices reported in the National Asylum Developments Database

The National Asylum Developments Database can be searched by institutional, legislative and policy changes. There are three types of policy developments:

Policies and practices related to the integrity of national asylum systems aim to swiftly identify unfounded asylum applications and ensure that financial, human and administrative resources are not dissipated on such claims. These measures involve efforts to rapidly establish an applicant’s identity, including age, country of origin, travel route and security concerns if any. These facts help to better assess the credibility of the applicant’s statements and determine whether beneficiaries of international protection are still in need of protection. The prevention of unintentional misuse of the asylum procedure and its integrity are also supported by the provision of information to asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection on their respective rights and obligations and related procedural arrangements.

Policies and practices that improve the efficiency of national asylum systems include digitalisation and the use of new technologies in the framework of asylum, prioritising or fast-tracking applications, the re-organisation of the procedure itself or implementing changes in the number of staff employed.

Policy and practice aiming to enhance the quality of national asylum systems contribute to increasing fairness, integrity and efficiency. Quality assurance systems, guidance materials and capacity-building measures typically pay off on the initial investment and efforts. The initiatives include staff training, revising existing guidance materials and monitoring the quality of the decisions delivered.

The database presents validated factual information and does not imply any endorsement from the European Commission or EUAA.

Flag Country Sort ascending Year Type of development Thematic area Development Source
United Kingdom United Kingdom 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Home Office amended its guidance on assessing the ages of asylum claimants who have no valid documentary evidence of age and where their claims to be children are doubted. This included the specification that a person being assessed on their physical appearance and demeanour must appear to be at least 25 years or older to be treated as an adult. Prior to this amendment, a person needed to appear to be significantly older than 18 years to allow an assessment of age. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The 2022-2023 resettlement programme was approved for the resettlement of 1,600 refugees focusing on three or five primary host countries. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An amendment to Ordinance 1 on asylum settles the implementation rules for video surveillance in federal reception centres. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Switzerland significantly increased the number of accommodation places for asylum applicants and persons in need of temporary protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Afghan evacuees were provided with a special temporary residence permit, allowing the newcomers to apply for international protection later once in the country. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Legislation was amended to allow for detention at the border for up to 3 days without a judicial review and without a written order. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Federal Administrative Court published its report on the evaluation of the asylum appeals procedure after the reform of the asylum procedure entered into force in 2019. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Negative decisions on Afghan nationals were suspended. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Federal Council adopted its opinion on a report by the Political Institutions Committee of the Council of States concerning a parliamentary initiative on granting the same family reunification regimes to beneficiaries of international protection and persons with temporary admission. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A draft amendment would allow persons with temporary admission to change their assigned canton if they follow a long-term vocational training or are employed in another canton EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Federal Council modified the assessment for fitness to travel of persons who are returned or expelled. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An amendment from 2018 to the Asylum Act entered into force on 1 April 2020, which enables the State Secretariat for Migration to pronounce a general travel ban for a group of refugees from a certain country of origin (particularly to neighbouring countries of that country of origin), if there is a well-founded doubt that the travel ban to the country of origin is not respected. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) decided that the granting of free legal advice should also apply to persons who file an asylum application from detention. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Amendments to the Swiss Federal Act on Foreigners and Integration were adopted, imposing a general travel ban on persons with temporary admission as of 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Resettled refugees were temporarily hosted in cantonal reception facilities due to a lack of accommodation in Swiss federal reception centres. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A draft amendment would explicitly include that applicants are under a general travel ban and they could only travel if this is necessary for the asylum procedure or for their removal. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) started to assign some applicants for international protection to cantons at an earlier stage to alleviate overcrowding in federal reception centres. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Institutional Content of protection Content of protection The Federal Council approved financial support for integration measures, including contributions to cantonal programmes which promote employment. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Switzerland launched a pilot programme for the employment integration of refugees and persons with temporary admission and concluded subsidy contracts with 14 cantons. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A draft amendment to the Asylum Act would allow the State Secretariat for Migration to access and analyse data from applicants' mobile phones, in order to verify their identity, with full respect of the principle of necessity and proportionality, and in compliance with the right to respect for private and family life. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure The Federal Council announced that it will not create a legal basis in the Law for Foreigners and Integration for the introduction of electronic bracelets as an alternative to administrative detention. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Switzerland introduced specific policies for the vaccination of asylum applicants, specifying that vaccines are free of charge, on a voluntary basis and by registration to receive an appointment EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Secretariat for Migration presented the results of the first evaluation of the law that reformed the asylum procedure in 2019. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants An amendment to the ordinance on implementation of return and expulsion of foreigners settles access rights, data security and data retention of the new information system, eRetour. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An amendment to the ordinance on delivering travel documents for foreigners clarified when refugees under a travel ban can still receive an exceptional authorisation to travel to a country falling under that travel ban. EASO Asylum Report 2021