Off the wire
• 1st LD Writethru: 13 Cambodians die, 75 hospitalized after drinking tainted rice wine  • China, Gabon to explore new opportunities for cooperation  • Finland seeking refund from Zambian farmers body  • Foreign teams arrive in Uganda ahead of Africa Roll Ball Championship  • Zambia's revenue collection to fall by 15 pct: official  • Barca issue Chapecoense invitation, offer help for tragedy hit club  • FIFA steps into Zambia soccer governing body row  • 3rd LD: Oakland fire leaves 36 dead, search for victims ends  • High level forum on sustainability kicks off in Morocco's Tangier  • German road traffic accident fatalities expected to hit record low in 2016  
You are here: 　 Home

Asylum requests in Switzerland register sharp drop: report

Xinhua, December 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) said Thursday that fewer than 30,000 people were expected to seek asylum in the confederation this year, down from almost 40,000 cases in 2015.

According to figures, 1,963 asylum requests were submitted last month in Switzerland, a 66-percent decline from the same period last year.

SEM explained that the lower number of requests was mainly a result of borders closing along the Balkan migratory route earlier this year.

Most of the asylum seekers looking for refuge on Swiss soil in November were from Eritrea (500 requests), Syria (166), Guinea (139), Afghanistan (109), and Sri Lanka (92).

A total of 474 people were granted asylum in the country last month, 678 were given temporary admission while 641 either left the country or were repatriated. Endit