This is the big promise of the new Minister of Justice, Beat Jans: the rapid asylum procedure in 24 hours for applicants from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya. It came into force this week throughout Switzerland. The only thing is: the procedure lasts significantly more than 24 hours.
Questioned by “NZZ am Sonntag”, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) writes that during the pilot phase in Zurich, this express procedure was carried out on average over 12 days. This is significantly faster than expedited procedures, which last around 50 days on average, but much longer than the name suggests.
“The 24-hour procedure is a marketing ploy by Beat Jans. It seems that all problems are resolved within 24 hours, but of course that is not true,” criticizes national councilor Pascal Schmid (UDC/TG). Alicia Giraudel, legal advisor at Amnesty International Switzerland, agrees: “Beat Jans sold the 24-hour procedure as a miracle cure. But it was always clear that the procedure could not be completed within 24 hours.”
The SEM also confirms this. He writes that an asylum decision “cannot in principle take place within the first 24 hours due to the applicable legal provisions.” There are also various obstacles: Switzerland must wait for a response from other countries within the framework of the so-called Dublin procedure. And asylum decisions can be appealed – the appeal period is between 5 and 7 days. “The procedure above all does not relate to the actual duration,” writes the SEM. The aim is to have a deterrent effect against people who do not need the protection of Switzerland.”
