Switzerland prepares to resume asylum seeker returns to Italy

Switzerland is preparing to restart asylum seeker transfers to Italy, with the first cases expected in the coming days or weeks. The move would resume returns under the Dublin Agreement, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The agency says Italy has provided written assurances that it will examine the cases sent from Switzerland.

The announcement puts a near-term change in motion: Swiss authorities are preparing to send cases back to Italy after receiving those assurances. The first transfers are expected soon, although the rollout is described in a window of days or weeks rather than a fixed date. Swissinfo reports that authorities believe the returns “will work,” reflecting their confidence in Italy’s commitment to examine the cases. The immediate test will be whether the planned transfers proceed on that basis.

Italy’s written assurance is the basis for Switzerland’s planned restart. The SEM says the Italian authorities have promised that cases transferred under the Dublin Agreement will be examined. Swiss officials have expressed confidence that the process can work with this commitment in place.

For Switzerland, the assurance gives the planned returns a stated procedural footing: cases sent to Italy are expected to receive examination there. The announcement concerns the handling of those cases, rather than a wider change to the Dublin framework. The commitment now sits at the centre of the next stage, as Swiss authorities prepare to resume transfers. Their confidence is reflected in the Swissinfo headline, which says returns to Italy “will work.” The first cases will put the assurance into practice as transfers begin.

The first cases could move within days or weeks. That is the timeframe given for the initial Dublin transfers from Switzerland to Italy, making the restart a near-term step rather than a distant plan. The SEM has linked the preparations to Italy’s written commitment to examine the cases.

The timing marks the point at which the stated assurance is expected to meet the transfer process. Swiss authorities have said they are confident the returns will work, while the first cases will begin to show how the arrangement operates in practice. For now, the planned restart is defined by two concrete elements: Italy’s promise to examine the cases and Switzerland’s expectation that transfers will begin soon. The coming days and weeks will bring the first cases into focus as the authorities move from preparation to implementation.

The restart will test whether the written commitment supports renewed transfers. Switzerland’s position is that Italy has assured it the cases will be examined, and the SEM is preparing to resume sending asylum seekers there under the Dublin Agreement. Officials have voiced confidence in the arrangement.

The first cases will give practical weight to that confidence. Their expected arrival in the transfer process within days or weeks makes the next stage immediate for the authorities involved. The stated purpose of Italy’s assurance is clear: cases transferred from Switzerland are to be examined. Switzerland is now preparing to act on that commitment and restart returns. The development keeps the focus on the bilateral handling of Dublin cases between the two countries, with the initial transfers set to mark the start of the renewed process.