Swiss clamp down on asylum seekers holidaying in home nation
AFP - [email protected]
Published: 21 Nov, 2011 CET.
Updated: Mon 21 Nov 2011 08:28 CET
Bern will reintroduce restrictions on asylum seekers returning to their home country during their application, after reports the system had been abused, Swiss radio DRS reported on Friday.
Since March 2010, asylum seekers were free to travel abroad without giving any reasons for their voyage, and Swiss authorities have issued about 2,500 travel documents to this effect.
However, "some people returned to their country of origin for holidays, even though they claim to have been persecuted there," Michael Glauser, spokesman for the Federal Migration Office told DRS.
"The freedom to travel will therefore be once again restricted," he said, adding where abuse had been established offenders had been stripped of their residence permits.
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