Significantly more migrants resided illegally in Switzerland
In 2021, significantly more migrants resided illegally in Switzerland than in the previous two years.
This was primarily due to the increased number of Afghan migrants who entered Switzerland irregularly from Austria in the second half of the year.
The majority of these were young men and adolescents who had often stayed for a long time in Europe or Turkey. Austria was usually given as their place of residence. FOCBS staff are often the first people in Switzerland to come into contact with the migrants. They perform the first security check and confirm identities using police search systems. The FOCBS works closely with cantonal and national authorities in the field of migration.