Measure concerns ‘equal treatment’ of all groups of refugees living on benefits, says social services agency
Ukrainian refugees receiving financial aid in Switzerland may be forced to sell their cars in order to continue receiving their aid, news outlet 20 Minuten reported, citing social services.
The new Swiss regulations require anyone living on benefits one year after arriving in the country to pass a reassessment of their assets, the media said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian refugees with the so-called “S status” – which allows them to leave and enter Switzerland – also freely fall into this category, he pointed out.
According to the Swiss Social Welfare Conference (SKOS), which publishes guidelines for social welfare in the Alpine country, cars must be phased out “if their value exceeds the asset deduction for the size of the household concerned.”
In the central canton of Lucerne, the authorities have set a deadline of one month for recipients of social assistance to resolve problems with their personal vehicle.
The local branch of the Asylum and Refugee Service (DAF) explained to 20 Minuten that it considers cars to be assets for people with “S status”, which means that the sum made from the sale of the vehicle will be excluded from benefits. Even if a car is not sold, its value will still be estimated, affecting the calculation of the amount of financial assistance, he added.
More than 130 Ukrainian refugees with cars are currently receiving social support in Lucerne, with “the majority of registered vehicles exceeding the asset allocation”, or 4,000 Swiss francs (about $4,380) per person or 10,000 Swiss francs (about $10,900) per family, DAF said.
“It’s a matter of equal treatment. [of Ukrainians] with all other groups of people in Switzerland who receive social assistance. The vehicles are also accounted for in their respective assets,” an agency representative said.
Other Swiss cantons are also working to implement the new regulations, but it remains unclear how many cars will actually have to be sold, the outlet said. Bern social services told 20 Minutes that “There have been no sales yet.”
More than 79,342 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict with Russia have arrived in Switzerland over the past year, according to the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). 20 Minuten estimates that at least several thousand of them are in possession of vehicles.
You can share this story on social media:
