Votes ZH Zurich retains scholarship waiting period for temporarily admitted persons

In future, temporarily admitted persons in the canton of Zurich will still have to wait five years before they can apply for scholarships from the canton. Voters have rejected the abolition of the waiting period.

Although not all municipalities and cities have been counted yet, the result is clear according to projections. The Education Act will not be amended.

The Cantonal Council decided in February to abolish the waiting period because 90 percent of people with F status remain in Switzerland anyway. It makes sense to educate them quickly. However, the SVP wanted to retain the waiting period and launched a referendum.

They argued that Zurich should not be made even more attractive for asylum seekers. Foreigners with F status were obliged to leave the country and should only be allowed to stay until this was possible. Immediate access to scholarships would have led to additional costs of CHF 3 to 4 million per year.

SDA