It's a recurring issue.

Immigration that brings expertise and thus contributes to prosperity is a guarantee. The problem is that Switzerland is not Canada. Therefore, Switzerland cannot afford a continuous and uncontrolled influx, otherwise all of its infrastructure will eventually buckle under the numbers. An attentive observer will have noticed that this is already starting to be the case with 9 million inhabitants.

Moreover, contrary to a widespread belief, immigration does not solve the pension problem, because an extremely significant portion of migrants return to their country of origin (for reasons we can well understand) and do not spend in the Swiss economy.

Finally, there are the concentrations of migrants in urban areas which bring not only cultural diversity, but also social and religious diversity that is beginning to overwhelm our authorities, our police forces, our courts and our prisons.

The immigrants I meet in the asylum system often want only one thing, and that's to work, as soon as they arrive. It means a lot to them: dignity, stability and a new-found freedom, but also a way of participating in and giving back to the Swiss society that has taken them in. It is, however, the culmination of a long struggle, during which they sometimes have to start all over again, as their professional skills and qualifications are often not recognized. In short, all this to say that active participation in the society in which we live is a matter of course for anyone of good will, whether they have their roots here or have been welcomed here, even if this journey is fraught with pitfalls, as it is for many people here. Personally, I see a richness in immigration: it keeps us from closing in on ourselves, brings in new forces, nourishes our know-how and our way of looking at things, and so on. Let's not forget that we owe much of our current prosperity to immigration (watchmaking industry, dams, roads, etc.).