Swiss migration system faces further delays and cost overruns

The overhaul of Switzerland’s migration authorities’ software faces further delays and higher costs, SRF reported, citing a review by the Swiss Federal Audit Office.

The project concerns the Central Migration Information System, known as ZEMIS. The State Secretariat for Migration uses the register to manage data on foreign nationals living in Switzerland. Federal, cantonal and municipal authorities also use it for tasks including asylum procedures and naturalisations.

The system urgently needs replacing. Its projected cost of more than 190 million francs was already known, but the audit office says federal cost-cutting measures and additional work required under EU agreements are putting the project under further pressure.

Patrick Treichler, a project auditor at the Federal Audit Office, said planned work could not be carried out at the intended scale or pace, leading to delays and additional costs. The office has called on the State Secretariat for Migration to adjust its planning to account for the new requirements.

Treicher warned that delays increase the risk of system outages that could affect the migration authority’s ability to operate. The State Secretariat for Migration agreed that ZEMIS should be replaced as quickly as possible. Its spokesperson, Magdalena Baker, said funding for the next two years had been cut and further reductions in later years could put the authority’s ability to function at risk.

Other federal digital projects have also been affected by planned spending cuts, including DigiSanté, a programme for digital transformation in healthcare, and the federal government’s artificial intelligence strategy.