Life in Switzerland for S Status-Beneficiaries

This page provides information on the following topics:

Questions and answers for refugees from Ukraine are provided by the SEM regarding multiple topics, including accommodation, cantonal allocation, medical matters, protection against human trafficking and prostitution, support measures and financial matters, employment, and schooling.

We also invite you to take a look at the Information brochure for people seeking protection.

Health care

To call an ambulance dial 144.

Emergency medical services are available to anyone who needs them, even before applying for protection status S and without health insurance. The public authorities will cover the costs.

As Ukrainian nationals can stay in Switzerland for three months without visa or permit, during that period they are not required to have compulsory insurance.

Once granted temporary protection and allocated to a canton, you will have to register for compulsory health insurance with the cantonal authorities. The coverage will retroactively apply from the moment you applied for protection status S (in person or via the application form). 

Compulsory health insurance covers basic medical care, including psychological care.

You can find more information on health care in Switzerland on the following webpages:

If you are a cancer patient, please consult the information provided by the Swiss Cancer League: Krebspatient:innen aus der Ukraine auf der Flucht (krebsliga.ch).

Social aid

Beneficiaries of protection status S receive social assistance from the canton to which they have been assigned if they are fully or partially unable to earn their living independently. Social assistance covers the basic needs of daily life in Switzerland. Social assistance can take the form of benefits in kind (accommodation, food, hygiene articles, etc.) or money. The cantons are responsible for organizing social assistance.

Work

As soon as you receive your permit S, you are allowed to start working in Switzerland (in a dependent or independent profession). Once you have found a job, you will have to announce it to the cantonal authority of your future place of work and obtain an authorization before you can start your employment activity. It is possible to look for a job in a canton other than the one you have been assigned to.

If you are working remotely for a foreign employer and your activity does not impact the Swiss job market, you do not need to obtain a work authorization from your canton. However, income from such work must be declared to the relevant authorities as required.

If you are looking for a job, you can register with the public employment service once you have obtained protection status S.

Vocational training is also available to status S beneficiaries, depending on your language skills. For more information on available training and requirements, consult the following webpage: BIZ – berufsberatung.ch (also available in Ukrainian and other languages).

Further information about vocational training:

The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation is one of the authorities responsible for the recognition of diplomas. Specific information on the recognition of Ukrainian qualifications for the purpose of carrying out a professional activity in Switzerland can be found here in English, Ukrainian and Russian.

Education

Primary and lower secondary education is compulsory in Switzerland for all children, regardless of their nationality or residence status. Children start primary school from the age of four. Public education is managed by the cantons. The canton to which a child has been assigned determines when a child can start attending school and whether prior preparatory/language classes are needed. Children may therefore have to wait until they can join regular school classes.

For an overview of cantonal education structures, you can consult this document (in German and French, also available in Ukrainian and Russian).

If you would like to continue your higher education in Switzerland, you can visit the following webpages for information on the conditions: Ukraine – swissuniversities and Individuals with status S – Perspectives – Studies.

Useful information specific to each canton

Here you can find the contact details of the Cantonal immigration authorities.

Comprehensive information on the reception of refugees from Ukraine in the various Cantons, can be found  here.

For integration programs for foreigners, a list of competent cantonal authorities and authorities in the major cities can be found here: Ansprechstellen für Integration in den Kantonen und Städten (admin.ch) (available in German, French and Italian). To get more details on the Cantonal Integration Programme, please consult this page (available in German, French and Italian).

Travel outside Switzerland

According to Swiss law, protection status S holders may travel abroad and return to Switzerland with a valid recognized passport without prior authorization by Swiss authorities. For the return to Switzerland, no visa is required. However, the entry regulations of the destination country must be complied with.

Ukrainian citizens with biometric passports can travel visa-free in the Schengen area for 90 days within 180 days as before. An “S permit card” alone is not a recognized travel document. Ukrainian citizens with non-biometric passports as well as other third-country nationals should therefore contact the consulate of the destination country to clarify the entry requirements before their planned trip abroad.

The State Secretariat for Migration may withdraw, or not renew, your status S if you leave Switzerland to travel to Ukraine for more than 15 days. Exceptions can be made for those who can prove that their stay was in preparation for their definitive return to Ukraine or for imperative reasons such as visiting a sick close relative. Protection status S can also be revoked if you live in a third country for more than two months and have moved your centre of vital interest there.

If you leave Switzerland for a prolonged period of time and therefore lose your status, you can still come back to Switzerland and reapply for protection. However, you will have to restart the procedure to obtain temporary protection status S.