Between January and June 2025, a total of 3,444 people in an irregular situation left Switzerland under official supervision, either voluntarily or under police escort to return to their country of origin or a third state. This represents only a 3.5% decrease compared to the same period in 2024 (3,570), despite an 18% drop in new asylum applications.
Of these departures, 1,221 people left voluntarily under supervision (+2.8% compared to 2024), and 1,156 were deported under police escort (+8%). Under the Dublin system, 1,067 people were transferred to another European country responsible for their asylum procedure, a decrease of 18.7% from 2024, mainly due to fewer transfer requests to countries such as Croatia and Austria. Twenty-three special flights were organized to remove 184 people, and 2,183 Ukrainian nationals left Switzerland through regular channels. At the end of June 2025, 4,834 departures were still pending, up 5.8% from the previous year.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is also preparing to resume returns of Afghan nationals, including individuals subject to criminal deportation orders. Around 20 Afghan citizens with such orders are currently in Switzerland. An Afghan delegation recently visited Geneva Airport to identify thirteen Afghan men, eleven facing criminal expulsion and two seeking voluntary return, so that replacement travel documents could be issued.
Since April 2025, Switzerland has resumed returns for certain Afghan asylum seekers whose applications were rejected, provided they meet specific criteria: they must be men not deemed vulnerable and have strong social ties in Afghanistan. So far, two deportations have been finalized under these conditions