Starting this autumn, cantonal authorities will be able to transmit ordinary naturalisation files to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) entirely through the Central Migration Information System (SYMIC), replacing the current paper-based exchange. The reform was confirmed in government communications earlier this summer but gained wider attention on 24 July after English-language portal The Local highlighted the change in its weekly news round-up. Under the new workflow, cantons upload application dossiers and supporting documents to a secure interface, where SEM clerks review them and return decisions electronically. This eliminates duplicate scanning, shortens postal lead-times, and allows both levels of government to track status in real time. Pilot tests in Bern and Vaud cut average federal processing from 51 days to 32 days. Applicants will initially still file through their commune in person, but a public-facing e-portal is planned for 2027 once digital-ID legislation is finalised. For employers sponsoring key foreign staff, faster issuance of the red Swiss passport reduces assignment risk and family-reunification complexity. Immigration advisers note that federal clearance is often the slowest step; trimming it by three weeks could bring total naturalisation timelines below 12 months in well-resourced cantons. Because SYMIC already stores biometric data collected for C-permit renewals, applicants may eventually avoid a second appointment for fingerprints. Data-protection groups welcome the move but urge strict role-based access controls, pointing to last year’s breach at a communal registry. SEM says the platform complies with the new Federal Act on Data Protection entering into force in September. Cantons must sign updated data-sharing agreements by 30 August to join the go-live wave.
Source: The Local (Switzerland)
