For asylum seekers
Do you need help with the asylum procedure or do you know someone who needs legal advice? Through its legal advice centres in several Swiss cities, HEKS/EPER ensures that refugees can form a realistic picture of their situation. Lawyers advise asylum seekers throughout their asylum procedure. They file appeals when refugee status is at issue, when there are procedural errors or when a removal order seems unreasonable. When a negative decision is being appealed, the asylum seeker is accompanied and assisted until the final decision is made.
Asylum applications are submitted and examined at federal asylum centres. As a way of monitoring whether procedures are being conducted fairly and in accordance with the law despite the short time-frames, asylum seekers are provided with advice and legal representation. Asylum seekers remain in these centres for the duration of their procedure. HEKS/EPER has been mandated by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) to provide advice and legal representation as well as interpreting services for procedures taking place in Eastern Switzerland (Altstätten) and North-western Switzerland (Basel).