SEM announced the temporary closure of six federal asylum centres due to a lower number of asylum applications in recent months. The closures, which affect centres in Thônex, Niederscherli, Aesch, Arlesheim, Sulgen and Chiasso, will reduce overall capacity by about 700 places.
During this period, minor maintenance work will be carried out.
Asylum requests in the first 4 months of 2026 were nearly 20% lower than during the same period in 2025, prompting the move to cut excess capacity and costs.
Switzerland currently operates 30 centres with around 7,000 places. SEM also continues to ease pressure on cantons by keeping certain Ukrainian applicants longer in federal facilities. If asylum applications rise again, especially in the summer, the closed centres can quickly reopen. SEM still forecasts about 25,000 asylum applications in total for 2026.
- State Secretariat for Migration | Staatssekretariat für Migration | Secrétariat d’État aux migrations | Segreteria di Stato della migrazione (21 May, 2026), Le SEM ferme temporairement six centres fédéraux pour requérants d’asile [SEM temporarily closes six federal asylum centres],