November 2, 2025, 3:11 p.mNovember 2, 2025, 3:11 p.m
Since the beginning of September, applications for protection status S from 18- to 22-year-old Ukrainians in Switzerland have risen sharply. Around 1,000 Ukrainians in this age group submitted a request. The lifting of an exit ban by Ukraine is likely to be responsible for this.
The Ukrainian flag in front of the Federal Palace.Image: keystone
The “Sunday newspaper” evaluated corresponding data from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). As the SEM confirmed at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency, a few days after the new exit regulations for 18- to 22-year-old men came into force in August, applications for protection from these people increased across Europe. Switzerland is also affected by this.
From the beginning of September, the number of these requests increased significantly. While there were still 3 applications at the end of August (week 35), the number rose to 33, 77 in the following weeks and then steadily until the (provisional) high of 185 in mid-October. At that time, a third of all applications were submitted by 18- to 22-year-old Ukrainians.
The SEM notes that the increase in applications for S protection status registered in Switzerland from September is essentially due to an increase in applications from people from this group. These currently make up around 30 percent of all S applications.
However, according to the SEM, there have been signs of stabilization in the last few weeks. With reference to a declining number of admissions to the federal asylum centers and a declining number of applications, the SEM states that “for a few days now” there have been increasing signs that the peak of S applications from people from this group has been passed.
According to SEM, no general statement about the reasons is possible. However, it can be noted that these men in Ukraine are not immediately about to be called up into the army, as the mobilization age in Ukraine is currently 25 years.
According to “SonntagsZeitung”, around 100,000 Ukrainians from the age group (18 to 22 years) have crossed the border into Poland in the last two months. According to the Interior Ministry, the number of monthly new arrivals in Germany rose to 1,800. The SEM did not want to comment on the situation in other countries. (dab/sda)