The Federal Council has announced that it decided at its meeting on October 8, 2025 to maintain protection status S for individuals seeking protection from Ukraine until at least March 4, 2027. Support measures under Programme S, which provide assistance to those holding this status, will also be extended until that date.
Following a parliamentary decision, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) now distinguishes between regions where return is reasonable and those where it is not when granting temporary protection.
As Switzerland is a member of the Schengen area, the Federal Council places strong emphasis on close coordination with the European Union. On June 13, EU member states agreed to extend temporary protection until March 4, 2027, without geographical restrictions.
Following the adoption of the Friedli motion (24.3378), the Federal Assembly decided to limit protection status S to individuals whose last place of residence was in occupied or contested regions of Ukraine. A distinction is now made between areas where return is considered reasonable or unreasonable when assessing eligibility for temporary protection. Currently, return to the regions of Volyn, Rivne, Lviv, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi is deemed reasonable.
This regulation does not affect individuals who already hold protection status S in Switzerland, nor does it apply to family members of status S holders who remain in Ukraine. As the security situation in Ukraine continues to evolve, SEM will review this list on an ongoing basis and adjust it if necessary.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will continue to assess each application on a case-by-case basis. If an application is rejected because the applicant comes from a region where return is considered reasonable, a removal order will be issued. However, if enforcement of that order is not permitted or not reasonable, the person will be granted temporary admission to Switzerland. Individuals excluded from protection status S may still apply for asylum under the regular procedure.
The new regulation will come into effect on November 1, 2025 and will apply to all applications assessed after that date, including those submitted earlier. An amendment to current practice – also taking effect on November 1, 2025 – will allow persons with protection status S to stay in Ukraine for up to 15 days per half-year, rather than 15 days per quarter.
In line with the extension of protection status S, the Federal Council has also decided to prolong the specific support measures under Programme S, originally adopted on April 13, 2022, until March 4, 2027. The federal government will continue to contribute CHF 3000 per person per year to cantonal integration efforts, with a particular focus on language support, access to education and labor market integration.
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Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.
