Protection Status S Extended Until at Least 2027

The Swiss Federal Council has decided to extend Protection Status S until 4 March 2027 at the earliest.

For those who already hold this status, nothing changes — it remains valid, and there is no need to return to Ukraine while the status is active.

At the same time, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has introduced new rules for assessing which regions of Ukraine are considered safe. From now on, Switzerland will distinguish between areas where returning is seen as possible and those where it is still not recommended.

According to the updated rules, the following regions are currently considered safe: Volyn, Rivne, Lviv, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi.

For people from these regions, new applications for Status S may be refused.

The new rules will take effect on 1 November 2025 and will apply to all new applications submitted after that date.

There are also some updates to the rules for short trips to Ukraine: people with Status S can now stay in Ukraine for up to 15 days within a six-month period (previously, 15 days per quarter).

In addition, the Federal Council will continue to finance integration support — CHF 3,000 per person per year. These funds are used to promote language learning, access to education, and integration into the job market.

👉🏻 For more information, please see the official SEM announcement at the link.