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Tag Archives: Immigration

Swiss government launches plan to stop rising rents

Switzerland, where only 36% of the population own their homes, is sometimes referred to as a nation of renters. So when rents rise, as they have recently, the subject becomes political. On Wednesday, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced that it was looking for ways to temper short term rent increases. © Yiu Tung Lee | Dreamstime.comAcross Switzerland, 64% of the population was renting their homes in 2020. The percentage of people renting ranged from 85% in Basel-City to 42% in the...

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Swiss rents could climb more than 15% by 2026

Home rent could rise 15% in Switzerland by 2026, according to Martin Tschirren, the head of Switzerland’s federal housing office, reported RTS this week. © Elenaphotos | Dreamstime.comTschirren thinks the rental reference rate could rise again over the coming year or two – the rental reference rate is an officially computed figure that reflects average mortgage rates. It is used to set rent levels in many rental contracts in Switzerland. It is reviewed quarterly and the latest rate was...

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Demand for workers pushes up EU migration to Switzerland

Over the first half of 2023, the number of foreign residents in Switzerland rose by 47,200. Most came from the EU to work, show recently published statistics. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.comAfter deducting the number of people leaving Switzerland, a net 9,384 people were added to the resident population during the first half of 2023. Much of the movement was driven by those moving from EU nations. Nearly 70% of those arriving were from the EU and 84% of net migration was from the EU....

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Swiss housing shortage due to lack of land for construction

A report published on 4 May 2023 cites land scarcity as the main reason behind Switzerland’s housing shortage. Photo by Max Rahubovskiy on Pexels.comIn the 20 years between 2001 and 2021 Switzerland’s population grew from 7.3 to 8.7 million, a rise of 1.4 million residents or 19%. And with annual net immigration of around 50,000, building enough homes to house everyone in Switzerland is an ongoing challenge. The survey, which aimed to understand the housing situation in cities and...

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Switzerland to apply welfare wealth limits to Ukrainian refugees

In Switzerland, basic welfare payments are only paid once an individual has spent almost all of their wealth supporting themselves. These requirements apply to everyone but are typically irrelevant for most refugees, who arrive in Switzerland with next to nothing. However, many arriving from Ukraine, a lower-middle income country, have wealth exceeding the limit, most visibly displayed in the vehicles some drive. Luxury cars in particular have raised eyebrows, although it cannot be assumed...

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Switzerland unwelcoming to expats, shows survey

A survey of expats published on 12 July 2022 ranks Switzerland 43rd out of 52 nations on ease of settling in. © Niccolo Pontigia | Dreamstime.comThe definition of an expat is based on the sample used in the Expat Insider 2022 survey. This group was 46 years old on average, more female (52%) than male (47%), most likely to have moved to Switzerland for work (51%) and was well paid – 56% earned US$ 100,000 or more. Close to a third (31%) worked in either IT, healthcare or pharmaceuticals....

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Swiss government concludes discussions on cutting social welfare for foreigners

As part of a revision of the rules related to foreigners in Switzerland the federal government has concluded discussions around cutting welfare entitlements for nationals from much of the world, reported the newspaper Le Matin. © Photosbypanda | Dreamstime.comDiscussions on restricting the welfare paid to some foreigners, which have been going on for some time, concluded on 3 May 2022. The resulting plan aims to cut the amounts of welfare paid in the first three years of residence. It...

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Half of French households near Swiss border work in Switzerland

Recently published statistics show that more than half of the residents in certain parts of France were employed in Switzerland in 2018. © Sergii Figurnyi | Dreamstime.comThe data, published by INSEE, a French statistics agency, found that more than half of households in the communes du Genevois, Pays de Gex and Annemasse-Les Voirons, all regions bordering Switzerland, contained family members who worked abroad, almost all of them in Switzerland. In the communes du Genevois, 67% of...

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Swiss government aims to cut welfare benefits paid to some foreigners

In response to rising welfare costs, Switzerland’s Federal Council has put forward a proposal to cut the amounts paid to non-EU immigrants in Switzerland, reported RTS. © Arsty | Dreamstime.comBetween 2010 and 2019, the cost of welfare in Switzerland rose by CHF 0.9 billion to CHF 2.8 billion (+47%), straining the finances of some cantons and municipalities. The Federal Council has put forward a proposal to contain this rising cost and to encourage better integration into the workforce....

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Initiative launched for vote to agree Swiss deal with EU

A group called Opération Libero and the Green party plan to come together to launch a referendum to require Switzerland’s federal government to sign new deal with the EU. © VanderWolfImages | Dreamstime.comAt a meeting on 26 May 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council evaluated the results of Switzerland’s negotiations with the EU around the institutional framework agreement, an agreement aimed at replacing the country’s current patchwork of agreements with the bloc, and decided not to sign,...

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