Rapid increase in applications from Ukrainians for residence permits in Switzerland: what is known

Since the beginning of September 2025, there has been a noticeable increase in interest among Ukrainians aged 18-22 in obtaining temporary migration protection in Switzerland. According to the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), by mid-October, about a thousand young Ukrainians had submitted applications for residence permits of category S.

The dynamics of the growth in applications is impressive: if only three applications were registered in the last week of August, then in the following weeks their number increased first to 33, then to 77, and by mid-October reached a previous maximum of 185 applications.

Currently, almost a third of all applications for the 'category S protective migration status' in Switzerland are submitted by young people aged 18-22. Overall, the increase in the number of requests for residence permits of category S, which were registered after September, is mainly related to this age group.

In recent weeks, the number of new applications for this status has begun to decline, which may indicate that the peak interest of Ukrainians in this age category has already passed.

Ukrainians aged 18-22 are massively approaching Swiss authorities with applications for temporary migration protection. The number of such applications is rapidly increasing, but in recent weeks, a decline in this indicator has been observed, which may suggest a gradual lull in this situation.