Switzerland wants to reduce social benefits for Ukrainian refugees: what may change
In the Swiss canton of Zurich, it has been proposed to change the rules of social support for Ukrainians with temporary protection status S. If the bill is adopted, even after five years of residence in the country, they will not be able to switch to the standard social assistance system and will continue to receive lower payments.
These changes have already been submitted to the Cantonal Council of Zurich. The initiative became possible after the decision of the Swiss Federal Council, which allowed cantons from March 1, 2027, to independently determine the amount of financial support for people with S status and residence permits.
Currently, Ukrainians who receive a residence permit after some time can apply for standard social assistance. However, in Zurich, it is proposed to keep a special payment system for them, equating them to the category of temporarily admitted persons. This means there will be no automatic transition to the general social support program.
According to Olesia Tarasenko, president of the Swiss-Ukrainian association Vidnova, people with S status currently receive about 400–550 Swiss francs per month for personal needs excluding housing and health insurance. At the same time, holders of residence permit B can expect approximately 1030–1070 francs, as well as higher compensation for housing rent and other social guarantees.
According to Tarasenko, maintaining the current assistance model will allow cantons to avoid a significant increase in budget expenditures. Besides saving money, Zurich officials state that the new rules are intended to encourage the employment of Ukrainians and prevent their internal migration between cantons.
If the Cantonal Council supports the bill, the new rules will come into force on March 1, 2027, simultaneously with the updated federal regulations.
As previously reported by the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", the leader of the Czech political movement SPD, Tomio Okamura, stated that the Czech Republic is allegedly negotiating within the European Union about the possible termination of temporary protection for Ukrainian men of conscription age. According to him, the support of other EU countries is needed to implement such an initiative.
Okamura also said he advocates for the earliest possible termination of temporary protection for all Ukrainians in the Czech Republic. Among his arguments, he mentioned that some Ukrainian citizens allegedly regularly travel home "on vacation."
He associates the termination of temporary protection primarily with the end of the war in Ukraine. The politician believes that after the end of hostilities, this mechanism will lose its relevance, and Ukrainians will have to either return home or apply for standard residence permits in the Czech Republic.
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