ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the realities of the Swiss situation by setting out some basic statistics on foreigners living, and arriving, in Switzerland. The populist political changes induced by the combination of internationalization and the effectiveness of the Schweizerische Volkspartei/Union Dmocratique du Centre (SVP/UDC) have made questions relating to foreigners a key concern in Swiss politics. With the ending of the Second World War, Switzerland reverted to being a country of immigration as its new economic growth began to attract foreign workers. The difference of scale between the overall foreign population and the number of refugees is, in other words, no guide to the nature of Swiss debate on foreigners. Political change in Switzerland has clearly helped to make questions relating to foreigners, and especially to asylum seekers, dominating concerns for many ordinary voters as has happened elsewhere in Europe. The new legislation also made reference to EU agreements on free movement and Schengen which provide separate rules for EU citizens.
