Thousands are waiting for a visa

The earthquake in Turkey is very close to a Swiss politician. The family of the Kurdish-born Basel SP National Councilor Mustafa Atici comes from the earthquake region. Article Watson .ch 🇨🇭

"It's a big shock for everyone who lives there. Also for my family and me," he says to Watson. Several relatives died as a result of the earthquake. Many others would now be homeless and have to sleep in tents.

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That's why the extent of destruction is so great

That is why he calls on Switzerland to act quickly. Atici wants Swiss people to be able to temporarily accept their Turkish relatives. But: "I notice that our authorities, especially the FDFA employees, are not optimally prepared for this event," he says.

1000 SMS messages and emails

The National Council has learned from countless people affected that the Swiss authorities make different statements and do not want to give people any hope. Since the earthquake, he has received almost 1000 SMS messages and e-mails from desperate Swiss who want to temporarily bring their family from Turkey to the country for protection.

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Lost relatives due to the earthquake in Turkey: SP National Councilor Mustafa Atici.image: keystone

Because the reconstruction will not be implemented in Turkey until spring at the earliest, estimates the SP politician. "These people now need support in winter. Not only that Swiss can temporarily accept their relatives, but also that we support the Kurds and Turks who stay in the country with humanitarian aid," says Atici. Currently, however, entry for Turks is only allowed with a tourist visa.

Atici therefore expects rapid cooperation between the FDJP and FDFA so that they find "unbureaucratic, simple" solutions. The problem: Many people affected have lost their passports in the rubble and the Turkish government does not see it as a priority to make it easier for compatriots to leave.

Relatives without a home

This is exactly the problem for the Swiss O. Ceren from the canton of Baselland, who has relatives in the earthquake region. He would like to bring his wife's grandparents as well as his cousins to Switzerland for a temporary basis until their situation is clarified. But all family members would no longer have passports. "They are buried under the ruins of their houses," explains Ceren.

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His relatives were lucky in misfortune: "They all survived, but are now sleeping in tents for the next few weeks and months. At up to minus ten degrees at night," he says. The Swiss wants to temporarily offer the family in Turkey protection, give them warmth and a roof over their heads. "That's the least they deserve," says Ceren. His relatives would also be afraid of further earthquakes.

Ceren is disappointed by the FDFA: "I called the helpline and they told me that there is only the possibility of a regular tourist visa. But in Turkey, everything is so chaotic at the moment that it takes forever to get new papers."

His whole family in this country wants to help the relatives from Turkey, but it is "bureaucratically impossible." Ceren is very grateful for Switzerland's humanitarian aid on the ground. But the FDFA should also behave at this level, because it may be about thousands waiting for a visa.

91-year-old mother without apartment

71-year-old Zurich Ali Akyol is also perplexed. He is trying everything to bring his 91-year-old mother to Switzerland. There is not much left of her apartment in the devastated city of Antakya since the earthquake - fortunately she herself is intact.

Currently, she has temporarily stayed with an acquaintance, 15 kilometers south of her home." But his mother is also afraid of an aftershock, which is why he wants to bring her to Switzerland - indefinitely. Because he cannot yet assess whether a reconstruction of her apartment is possible.

However, Switzerland is his mother's second home anyway. "Until eight years ago, she lived in the canton of Zurich and had a residence permit," says Akyol. However, this has now expired. She also no longer has her Turkish passport - buried under the rubble. "We can't wait for her to receive new papers. Only under normal circumstances do you wait about six weeks for a new passport, at the moment everything takes even longer," explains Akyol.

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The 71-year-old has therefore contacted the FDFA to clarify his mother's situation. The answer came quickly, but it was sobering.

For example, the FDFA wrote to him: "The Swiss Consulate General in Istanbul is currently still in clarification with the competent authorities in Switzerland regarding the handling of visa applications in connection with the earthquake." However, how long this will take is still open.

Visa for earthquake victims prioritized

At the request of watson, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) confirms that persons staying "in the affected areas" still need a valid visa. "Requests from earthquake victims whose house or apartment have been destroyed by the earthquakes and who can temporarily be accommodated with close relatives in Switzerland are treated as a priority," writes the SEM.

The persons concerned could contact the Swiss representation in Istanbul via the "fast-track form." In order to cope with the rush, additional employees will be sent to Turkey. This is to ensure that the requests of earthquake victims with close relatives in Switzerland can be dealt with quickly.

In addition, the goal is to quickly help those whose passport is under the rubble with replacement. The authority writes: "SEM and FDFA are in close contact with the Turkish authorities in order to solve organizational issues, such as the rapid issuance of an emergency passport, as pragmatically as possible."