The Federal Council has set 1 June 2026 as the effective date for amendments to the Asylum Act that overhaul security governance in Switzerland’s federal asylum centres (CFA). The reforms, approved by Parliament in March 2025, embed key recommendations from the independent Oberholzer report, which investigated incidents of violence and staff-safety gaps in the facilities. The ordinance assigns clearer responsibilities to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) for accommodation standards, surveillance protocols and crisis management, including centres located inside airports. It also codifies parts of the centres’ internal disciplinary code, giving guards explicit legal backing to use proportionate restraint or conduct searches when an imminent threat arises – measures that were previously regulated only by internal guidelines. From a corporate-mobility perspective, the changes matter because many multinational relocation programmes engage service providers in and around CFAs – from language schools to trauma counsellors – especially when sponsoring refugee employees under talent-integration schemes. Providers will now need SEM accreditation that demonstrates compliance with the new security framework. The Council highlighted early success: after interim ordinance tweaks took effect in January 2023, security-relevant incidents dropped. The 2026 package seeks to lock in those gains while ensuring fundamental rights remain respected; the Oberholzer inquiry found no systematic abuse but urged clearer rules to avoid grey areas. Cantonal reception centres are unaffected, but observers expect the federal template to influence local practice. Employers running volunteer days or donation drives at CFAs should check with centre management about updated visitor procedures ahead of the June switchover.
