Swiss resettlement programme (UNHCR referrals) - up to 400 a year to end 2027
Official name: Resettlement-Programm 2024/25 (extended to end 2027)
Switzerland admits particularly vulnerable refugees from a first country of refuge, in cooperation with UNHCR, and grants them refugee status. It is not a route people can apply for themselves. Admissions were suspended from 1 April 2023; on 30 April 2025 the Federal Council extended the 2024/25 programme (up to 1,600 places) to the end of 2027, implemented gradually at up to 400 admissions a year.
Life in Switzerland
Finance
3
Currency
Swiss Franc
CHF
Swiss Franc
Cost of living
128
Price level · US = 100
World Bank price levels, 2025
Tax
0.77–11.5%
Income tax (national)
VAT 8.1%
Federal direct tax only: rises in steps (marginal rate peaks at 13.2%) to a flat 11.5% on very high incomes (about CHF 794,000+ for single people, before inflation indexing); cantonal and communal taxes come on top and are usually much larger.
Living
1
Happiness
#10 of 145 countries
World Happiness Report 2025
Who it’s for
Particularly vulnerable refugees already outside their home country, identified and referred by UNHCR, mainly people fleeing conflict and persecution in the Near and Middle East and along the central Mediterranean route.
Eligibility
No direct applications: UNHCR selection
Resettlement is carried out with UNHCR, which identifies and proposes refugees. Individuals cannot apply to SEM for resettlement themselves.
Particularly vulnerable refugees
The programme is for particularly vulnerable refugees in a third country. SEM only considers people who would be granted a right to stay in Switzerland; willingness to integrate is also a criterion.
Programme size
The programme offers a limited number of places, with at most 400 admissions a year in 2026 and 2027.
Programme places
Extended on 30 April 2025 to the end of 2027- Total places2024/25 programme
- 1,600
- Per year
- 400
- Spread over four years
- Set in consultation with cantons, municipalities and cities
- Depends on the asylum situation
Official wording
Up to 1,600 places under the 2024/25 programme, extended on 30 April 2025 to the end of 2027 and spread over four years: at most up to 400 admissions a year in 2026 and 2027, in consultation with cantons, municipalities and cities and depending on the asylum situation.
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