To help Ukrainians integrate into Switzerland, the Federal Council has announced that it will be offering money to allow refugees to attend Swiss language schools. 3.000 Swiss francs per person will be given to the cantons, to help those fleeing the conflict learn German, French or Italian.

Swiss government expands support for Ukrainian refugees

At its meeting on Wednesday, the Federal Council confirmed that it would be increasing the amount of money it sends to Swiss cantons in order to accommodate S-residence permit holders, all of whom are refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Recipients of the residence permit are already afforded housing, social security and healthcare, at a cost of 18.000 Swiss francs per person per year.

However, the government said that it wanted to support cantons in providing language courses to refugees, to help them better integrate into Swiss society. To facilitate this, the government will pay each canton 3.000 Swiss francs per person, to allow them to attend a language course.

Language courses, better access to jobs and more support for Ukrainian families proposed

Currently, once a refugee is registered with an S-residence permit, it is up to the individual cantons to provide them with care and support. The government hopes that, with the additional funding, cantons will be able to expand their operations to give language training, easier access to jobs and support for families and children.

However, according to 20 minuten, while the majority of cantons supported the new funding, many agree that 3.000 Swiss francs per person is not enough in the medium to long term. The Federal Council said that it wanted to assess the situation before increasing payments further.