Protection status S extended for Ukrainian refugees

The Swiss Federal Council announced protection status S will remain in place for Ukrainian refugees until March 2025.

Key Points:

• Government officials originally granted protection status S to Ukrainian refugees in March 2022, citing the ongoing conflict with Russia and the need to offer temporary protection to those in need.
• An estimated 66,000 Ukrainian refugees have protection status S in Switzerland.
• Protection status S can only be lifted by the Federal Council, and they have confirmed that unless the situation fundamentally changes, it will remain in place.

BAL Analysis: The European Council also recently extended temporary protection to Ukrainian refugees until March 2025. The Swiss government aligned with the EU in extending protection to provide clarity to employers as well as Ukrainian refugees.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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