Swiss role model? What the UK can learn from how Switzerland rebuilt public trust in its asylum system
Think tank: Social Market Foundation
Author(s): Jonathan Thomas
March 30, 2026
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at the Swiss asylum reforms and key takeaways for the UK.
The UK is suffering a downward spiral, with collapsing public confidence in the government’s ability to deliver an effective asylum system. This report investigates reforms to the Swiss asylum system designed to address the same challenge, looking at the changes made and key takeaways for the UK.
Key elements of the the Swiss asylum system:
Faster – The Swiss system swiftly assess cases that can be dealt with on an accelerated basis or where claimants can be removed to EU states under the European Union (EU) ‘Dublin’ regime. Only those cases which cannot are dealt with under an extended procedure. The appeals process is simplified, streamlined and dynamically resourced. Switzerland uses its approach to asylum accommodation to speed the process along. All claimants must stay in large Federal Asylum Centres where they have access to all information and support services under one roof.
Fairer – Legal advice and representation for claimants is assured and ‘front-loaded’, paid for by the state, and delivered by NGOs – reducing delays and the numbers of successful appeals. Claimants successful under the accelerated procedure, or being dealt with outside it, are dispersed to the Swiss cantons (regional states with their own administrative responsibilities) by an automatic process to ensure fair dispersal. Those allowed to stay in Switzerland receive integration assistance targeted at labour market participation and language attainment.
Firmer – Switzerland only allows a one-shot appeals process against asylum decisions, and the rate of successful appeals is very low. Switzerland’s returns strategy is three-pronged: the active use of removals – under the EU Dublin regime – to EU countries that asylum seekers have passed through en-route to Switzerland; the promotion and prioritisation of both voluntary and enforced returns; and migration partnerships negotiated with other countries.
