Switzerland is a landlocked country located in the center of Europe, sharing borders with Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Liechtenstein. Refugees and asylum-seekers in Switzerland mostly originate from Ukraine, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Syria, among others.

Switzerland ratified the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees in 1955 and acceded to its 1967 Protocol in 1968. Switzerland applies a new asylum system in place since 2019. An external evaluation of the new system confirmed that it has enhanced the fairness and efficiency of the asylum procedure. It ensures the same standards for federal reception centers in all six asylum regions. However, these do not apply to cantonal facilities where standards continue to vary widely. Although progress has been made at federal level in the identification and follow up on specific needs, challenges persist. Gaps continue to exist, for example regarding guardianship, representation, child-friendliness of the asylum procedure, age assessment, family tracing, and the right to family reunification. Refugees from Ukraine are granted temporary protection without having to undergo an asylum procedure. Temporary protection was employed for the first time since it was introduced in 1999.