No asylum flood after Arab Spring
The recent uprisings that have swept north African countries have not resulted in increased immigration pressure, according to new figures.
The Swiss Federal Office for Migration said on Wednesday that 1,495 asylum requests were filed in April, about 20 percent less than the month before.
The office said in a statement that the overall number of requests was up compared the average of the first three months of the year (1457) but that the number of people coming from northern Africa remains quite low.
In April, the majority of asylum requests were filed by Eritreans, who accounted for a total of 376 cases, followed by 165 Tunisians. Most asylum applications stem from the political instability and from those exercising the right to family reunification, the statement said.
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