Switzerland Remains the Most Popular Destination for German Emigrants
According to Destatis, at the beginning of 2021, about 309,000 German citizens resided in the Alpine republic of Switzerland,AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
Their number has been increasing for years, and compared to 2020, the increase reached 0.7 per cent, which included about 2,100 people.
Similarly, the number of Germans obtaining Swiss citizenship has also been steadily increasing. In 2020, a new record was reached with about 6,900 naturalisations.
Germans’ second most common emigration destination is Austria, with about 209,000 Germans living there in 2021. For Switzerland, the annual growth was significantly higher than Switzerland, resulting in four per cent, which is 8,700 more people.
One of the reasons why Germans prefer Austria and Switzerland over other world countries is that movement in these two countries is facilitated by geographical proximity and the common language.
According to Destatis data for 2019, the United Kingdom ranks third in terms of the largest number of German citizens, with around 142,000 people living there.
On the other hand, Spain ranks fourth as the most popular destination, with around 140,000 Germans living there in 2021.
In March, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) revealed that asylum applications submitted to the Swiss authorities fell by almost ten per cent in February, reaching a total of 1,304 applications.
According to data from the SEM, compared to a year ago, the number of applications has increased by 492 of them, where the main countries of origin of the applicants are Afghanistan and Turkey, reveal the Swiss authorities.
However, last month, Afghan nationals submitted more applications for international protection, with about 270 of them, which is 27 per cent less than in January. Also, citizens from Turkey have submitted 223 applications, marking a decrease of 11 per cent, while the number of applications submitted by Eritrean citizens has remained unchanged.
Besides, Swiss authorities have announced that the country has entered into a migration partnership with Georgia.
Georgia is the seventh country with which Switzerland has entered into a partnership on migration, and with the signing of this memorandum, the two countries reconfirmed their intention to institutionalise cooperation in the field of migration.
According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, nearly 396,000 foreign nationals were born in Switzerland in 2015, accounting for about 20 per cent of the “foreign” population. Among foreigners living in Switzerland who were born elsewhere, some 44 per cent have lived in Switzerland, as permanent residents, for ten years or more.
