Doors open to the new federal asylum centre in Altstätten (cross-border guide)

Context

Federal Councillor Beat Jans visited the new Federal Asylum Centre in Altstätten, where he met with representatives of the Confederation, the Canton of St. Gallen and the city of Altstätten. The centre will open its doors in September and will cover an area of 11,500 square metres. The new centre will employ 106 people.

The Federal Asylum Centre in Altstätten represents an investment of 30 million Swiss francs, financed by the Federal Fund for Territorial Development (FFST). The FFST was established in 2007 with the Federal Law on Infrastructure (LFI), which provides for an amount of 12.3 billion Swiss francs until 2030. The centre in Altstätten is one of the examples of how the FFST is supporting infrastructure development across Switzerland.

The new asylum centre will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 asylum seekers each year, increasing the treatment capacity compared to the Bellinzona centre, which had a capacity of 500 asylum seekers. This capacity increase will be particularly useful for the Canton of Ticino, which has seen a significant increase in asylum seekers in recent years.

The Altstätten centre will be equipped with the latest technologies and facilities to ensure humane and dignified treatment of asylum seekers. The centre will be open 24/7 to ensure continuity of treatment. Center staff will be trained to provide assistance to

Operational details

Federal Councillor Beat Jans underlined the importance of the new federal asylum centre in Altstätten, which represents an important step in the management of asylum procedures in Switzerland. The centre will be managed by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and will employ 106 people.

The federal asylum centre in Altstätten will be the fifth of its kind in Switzerland, after those in Bern, St. Gallen, Basel and Geneva. This new centre will be able to handle up to 1,500 asylum procedures per year, according to SEM forecasts.

Federal Councillor Beat Jans said: "The new federal asylum centre in Altstätten represents an important step forward in the management of asylum procedures in Switzerland. It will be a place of reference for persons requesting international protection and for the competent authorities.”

The centre will be equipped with modern communication and IT technologies, to ensure efficient management of asylum procedures. In addition, the centre will be equipped with a library and documentation centre, to provide information and support to people seeking international protection.

SEM has allocated 23 million francs for the construction and equipment of the centre. The centre will be inaugurated in September 2024 and will be operational from October of the same year.

The new federal asylum centre in Altstätten will be an important reference point for people

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Key points

Doors open to the new federal asylum centre in Altstätten

On September 1, 2024, the new federal asylum center in Altstätten will be open for public visits. This centre was created to offer more effective and humane assistance to asylum seekers in Switzerland. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) was in charge of managing the process of reception and integration of asylum seekers.

For more information about the new centre, you can contact SEM at 058 462 34 56 or email [email protected]. Visitors will be able to observe the facilities and services offered by the centre, including reception areas, integration areas and support facilities.

If you are a border worker interested in working at the new centre, you can contact SEM for more information. SEM offers training and support to help border workers integrate into the new centre and provide high quality services to asylum seekers.

The new federal asylum centre in Altstätten was built in collaboration with the Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden and the Municipality of Altstätten. The construction of the center required an investment of about 15 million Swiss francs, financed by the Federal Migration Fund.

Concrete examples:

• The new centre will be able to accommodate up to 500 asylum seekers per day.
• Visitors will be able to observe the reception areas, which

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Source: swissinfo.ch