Recognised refugees

If the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) grants you asylum, you are a recognised refugee and your canton issues you a B residence permit marked "refugee". This status gives you more rights than an ordinary B permit: you can work anywhere in Switzerland without restrictions, bring your spouse and minor children without the usual deadlines, receive social assistance on the same terms as Swiss citizens, and travel on a refugee travel document to every country except your country of origin. The legal provisions described here are as of 1 April 2025.

In short

• Your permit: a B residence permit marked "refugee" (Art. 60 para. 1 AsylA), usually renewed every year.
• Work: unrestricted access to the labour market, employed or self-employed (Art. 61 AsylA).
• Family: your spouse and minor children, if you were already a family before you fled, can join you through family asylum with no deadline and no income test (Art. 51 AsylA).
• Travel: a refugee travel document valid everywhere except your country of origin. Going back there can cost you your status (Art. 63 AsylA).
• C permit and citizenship: a C permit as a rule after 10 years, or after 5 with successful integration; then ordinary naturalisation under the Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA).

What "recognised refugee" means

A recognised refugee is a person to whom the SEM has granted asylum. There are two steps.

1. You meet the refugee definition (Art. 3 AsylA). You are a refugee if, in your country of origin or last country of residence, you face or have a well-founded fear of serious harm because of your race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinions. Serious harm includes threats to life, physical integrity or liberty, and measures that cause intolerable psychological pressure; grounds for flight specific to women must be considered. Grounds you created only through your own conduct after leaving, which are not an expression or continuation of convictions you already held at home, do not count. The definition largely follows Art. 1A para. 2 of the 1951 Refugee Convention (SR 0.142.30), with gender-specific persecution added.

2. You are granted asylum (Art. 49 AsylA). Asylum is granted to refugees unless a ground for exclusion applies under Art. 53 AsylA, such as serious reprehensible acts or a threat to Switzerland's internal or external security.

The legal bases are the Asylum Act of 26 June 1998 (AsylA, SR 142.31) and the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration of 16 December 2005 (FNIA, SR 142.20).

Your permit: B "refugee"

Under Art. 60 para. 1 AsylA, people granted asylum have a right to a residence permit in the canton where they lawfully live. The canton issues a B residence permit (Art. 33 FNIA) marked "refugee", often called a "B refugee permit". It is issued for a limited period, usually one year, and can be extended as long as there are no grounds for revocation under Art. 62 para. 1 FNIA and your refugee status continues. The SEM decides on asylum; the cantonal migration office issues the card.

The "refugee" note matters. It gives you rights that an ordinary B permit for work, study or family does not: privileged family reunification, a travel document, full access to work and equal treatment in social assistance. The legal basis is the AsylA, not the FNIA's work or family rules, and the consequences differ significantly.

From N or F to B "refugee"

If you are a refugee but excluded from asylum under Art. 53 AsylA or because of subjective post-flight grounds, you are provisionally admitted as a refugee (Art. 83 para. 8 FNIA) and receive an F permit marked "refugee". You meet the refugee definition but do not have asylum. Your position is less secure than a recognised refugee's, but better than a provisionally admitted person without refugee status. See provisional admission (F permit).

If you are granted asylum, the change happens like this:

1. The SEM notifies you and the cantonal migration office of its decision in writing.
2. The cantonal migration office withdraws your N (or F) permit and issues a B permit marked "refugee".
3. Your canton is the one the SEM allocated you to (Art. 27 AsylA), or a later canton after a change under Art. 22 ZuV.
4. The permit is usually renewed every year by the cantonal migration office.

C permit

Under Art. 60 para. 2 AsylA with Art. 34 FNIA, recognised refugees can receive a C settlement permit, which is unlimited and without conditions. Under Art. 34 FNIA, it may be granted after at least ten years in total in Switzerland on a short-term or residence permit, including the last five years continuously on a residence permit, if there are no grounds for revocation under Art. 62 para. 1 FNIA and you are integrated. Art. 34 para. 4 FNIA allows it earlier with successful integration.

In SEM and cantonal practice for recognised refugees:

• As a rule: after 10 years of lawful residence, if you meet the integration criteria of Art. 58a FNIA and there are no grounds for revocation.
• Early: after 5 years with successful integration (Art. 34 para. 4 FNIA with Art. 62 OASA, SR 142.201). This requires in particular good language skills, a longer period of work without social assistance, and participation in economic and cultural life.

Integration criteria (Art. 58a FNIA): respect for public safety and order, respect for the values of the Federal Constitution, language skills, and participation in economic life or education. The exact language levels are in the OASA and cantonal guidelines; ask your cantonal migration office.

Time in the asylum procedure. According to SEM guidelines, the period between your asylum application and the grant of asylum does not count towards the 10 years under Art. 34 FNIA, and neither does time on provisional admission. Only uninterrupted time on a B permit counts.

Your rights

Work

You can work anywhere in Switzerland, change jobs or change occupation, with no priority for Swiss workers and no labour-market test (Art. 61 AsylA; Art. 60 para. 1 lit. a AsylA with Art. 38 FNIA). You can also become self-employed, subject to the normal commercial, social security and tax rules. You are treated like Swiss citizens, except for jobs reserved to Swiss nationals, such as some federal administration posts and the army.

Where you live

You are assigned to a canton by the SEM (Art. 27 AsylA). Within the canton you can live where you choose. You can move to another canton (Art. 37 FNIA with Art. 21 ZuV) by applying to the migration office of the new canton; it is usually granted if there are no grounds for revocation.

Family reunification (Art. 51 AsylA)

Under Art. 51 AsylA, the spouse and minor children of a refugee are recognised as refugees and granted asylum, unless special circumstances stand against it. If they were separated from you by your flight and are abroad, their entry is authorised on application (Art. 51 para. 4 AsylA). For these close family members who were already your family before you fled:

• the deadlines of Art. 47 FNIA do not apply;
• no proof of income under Art. 44 FNIA is required;
• they usually receive family asylum, and so the same status as you.

Family members outside Art. 51 AsylA, such as a spouse you married after fleeing, adult children or other relatives, fall under the general FNIA rules (in particular Art. 44, Art. 47, and Art. 85c FNIA for provisionally admitted persons). See family reunification of recognised refugees and family reunification under the FNIA.

Social assistance and insurance

You receive social assistance on the same terms as Swiss citizens, from your canton, based on the SKOS guidelines and cantonal law (Article 23 of the 1951 Refugee Convention).

Under Art. 12 para. 1 lit. d SCA (SR 141.0) with Art. 7 para. 3 SCO, receiving social assistance is an obstacle to naturalisation. Recent case law, including the Administrative Court of Aargau in 2024, also counts assistance received for reasons beyond your control. See the Swiss Citizenship Act 2018 glossary. For questions about claiming assistance, ask your cantonal social services or a debt advice service.

• Education: equal access to compulsory school; universities apply their normal admission rules, with no special immigration requirements.
• Health insurance: compulsory under the Health Insurance Act of 18 March 1994 (KVG, SR 832.10), with cantonal premium reductions if you need them.
• AHV/IV/EO/ALV: you are insured like Swiss citizens and receive benefits under the general rules.
• Voting: no federal voting rights. Some cantons give foreign nationals rights at municipal or cantonal level (for example Jura and Neuchâtel, and Geneva, Vaud and Fribourg at municipal level, subject to residence requirements), but this applies to foreign nationals in general, not refugees specifically.

Travel

Under Art. 59 AsylA, authorities treat you as a refugee under the AsylA and the 1951 Convention. The SEM issues you a biometric refugee travel document under Art. 28 of that Convention and the Ordinance of 14 November 2012 on Travel Documents for Foreign Nationals (RDV, SR 143.5).

• It is valid for all states that recognise it, except your country of origin.
• It does not remove visa requirements. For Schengen states you need a visa like other third-country nationals.
• Travelling to your country of origin usually triggers a procedure to withdraw your status (Art. 63 AsylA). The same applies if you place yourself under your home country's protection elsewhere, for example by applying for a passport at its embassy, including its embassy in Switzerland.

Before travelling to a third country you are unsure about, ask the SEM or a legal representative.

Losing refugee status or asylum

Under Art. 63 para. 1 AsylA, the SEM revokes asylum or withdraws refugee status:

• if you obtained it through false statements or by hiding important facts; or
• for the reasons in Art. 1 C nos. 1 to 6 of the 1951 Convention.

Under Art. 63 para. 2 AsylA, the SEM revokes asylum (refugee status remains, and you are provisionally admitted) if you have seriously endangered or committed particularly reprehensible offences against Switzerland's internal or external security, or have breached the travel ban under Article 59c, paragraph 1, of the FNIA. Under Art. 63 para. 1bis AsylA, refugee status is withdrawn if you travel to your home country, unless the trip was forced.

The typical cessation grounds under the Convention are:

1. voluntarily placing yourself under your home country's protection again, such as getting a home passport or returning;
2. voluntarily regaining your former nationality;
3. acquiring a new nationality and that state's protection;
4. voluntarily returning to live in your country of origin;
5. the circumstances that made you a refugee no longer existing;
6. for stateless persons, the circumstances causing statelessness ending.

The SEM conducts the procedure. Its decision can be appealed to the Federal Administrative Court (FAC) under Art. 105 AsylA.

If you lose asylum or refugee status, the cantonal migration office checks whether you can stay on another basis under the FNIA, for example Art. 50 FNIA after a family breakdown, a hardship case under Art. 30 FNIA, or provisional admission under Art. 83 FNIA. Otherwise, a removal order follows.

Naturalisation

Naturalisation follows the Swiss Citizenship Act of 20 June 2014 (SCA, SR 141.0) and the Citizenship Ordinance (SCO, SR 141.01). Under Art. 9 SCA, you need:

1. a C permit (Art. 9 para. 1 lit. b SCA), so the C permit step above comes first;
2. 10 years' residence in Switzerland, including three of the five years before you apply, with years between ages 8 and 18 counting double but at least six years actually spent here. Cantons add 2 to 5 years in the canton and municipalities usually 2 to 3 years;
3. successful integration under Art. 12 SCA: respect for public safety and order, constitutional values, language skills (B1 oral and A2 written, Art. 6 SCO), work or education, and family integration;
4. familiarity with Swiss life (Art. 11 lit. b SCA), checked through a cantonal or municipal test or interview;
5. no threat to internal or external security (Art. 11 lit. c SCA).

Time spent in the asylum procedure on an N permit does not count towards the 10 years (Art. 33 para. 1 SCA). Time on provisional admission (F) counts half.

Receiving social assistance is a significant obstacle in cantonal practice, including for refugees. How many years you must be free of assistance, whether you must repay it, and cantonal hardship exceptions are explained in the Swiss Citizenship Act 2018 glossary. See also naturalisation in Switzerland.

Compared with other statuses

S protection status (Art. 4 and Art. 66 onwards AsylA) was used on a large scale for the first time in 2022 for people from Ukraine. It is a collective status that the Federal Council activates and ends by ordinance (Art. 4 AsylA), without an individual refugee assessment. S holders can apply for asylum at any time and usually keep S status meanwhile (Art. 70 AsylA). Their rights to work, assistance and family reunification differ considerably. See S protection status.

Authorities and legal help

• SEM, Quellenweg 6, 3003 Bern-Wabern: decides on asylum, withdrawal and travel documents.
• Federal Administrative Court (FAC), St. Gallen: hears appeals against SEM decisions (Art. 105 AsylA).
• Federal Supreme Court: only in exceptional asylum cases (Art. 83 lit. d of the Federal Supreme Court Act, BGG).
• Cantonal migration office: issues and extends your B permit, handles changes of canton, family reunification outside Art. 51 AsylA, and prepares naturalisation.
• Cantonal and municipal social services: social assistance.
• Cantonal and municipal naturalisation authorities: ordinary naturalisation.

In asylum appeals, legal aid is available under Art. 102m AsylA, and in the accelerated procedure you have a right to free legal advice and representation (Art. 102f onwards AsylA). In the extended procedure and after a final decision, you need a lawyer registered in a cantonal bar register (Art. 102h AsylA) or an SEM-approved legal advice centre. See the Asylum Act glossary.

Sources and related pages

• AsylA, SR 142.31: https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1999/358/de
• FNIA, SR 142.20: https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/758/de
• SCA, SR 141.0: https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2016/404/de
• SEM asylum: https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/de/home/asyl.html
• FNIA and OASA glossary