We are very sorry to hear about your terribly difficult situation and we can fully understand that you would like to leave your country. Unfortunately, we cannot help you to come to Switzerland, because our country's immigration system does not allow sponsoring an individual person as a refugee. It is not possible here to apply for a visitors visa for you. We very much regret this!

 

What you could try is to get assistance by the organization Rainbow Railroad:

https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/.

 

Please note: this organization operates in Canada and the United States of America. However, they often take a long time to reply because they receive many more applications than they can process quickly. What we can also suggest is to go to the UNHCR office (United Nations Refugees Agency) in any neighboring country (or any country you can reach without much difficulty). There you can try to register for resettlement as a refugee.

 

Here is the link to see the locations of UNHCR representations:

https://www.unhcr.org/where-we-work.html

 

Here you find UNHCR's advisory specifically directed to LGBT+ persons:

https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/how-we-work/safeguarding-individuals/lgbtiq-persons

 

Additionally, we strongly suggest you contact directly the UNHCR office of the Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity:

https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/ie-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity

(scroll down to contact information)

 

However, with this message we try to give you some information about the asylum system in Europe hoping that this might be useful to you.Understanding the following information will also help you if you get a chance to present your case to the UNHCR.

 

First of all: Being persecuted because of sexual orientation or gender identity can be a reason for receiving asylum in Europe. If you find a way to reach Europe as an asylum seeker, the immigration authorities will interrogate you about the persecution you have experienced or were afraid of in your country of origin. They will need to understand why you should be recognized as a refugee in Europe. It is important to say in this process from the beginning and clearly that you are gay, lesbian or bisexual (sexual orientation) and/or that you are trans (gender identity). In Europe we use the abbreviation LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and others) to describe this entire group of the population. You will have to explain in detail that you fled your country because of the homophobia or transphobia you were suffering there. If you were also under threat for another reason like your ethnic background, religion, nationality or political opinion, you should describe that as well.

 

Unfortunately, being LGBT+ and from a country like yours does not mean that you will get asylum automatically. You will need to convince the immigration authorities that you were in danger because you are LGBT+. It sounds terrible, but your chances to receive asylum are much better if you have been a victim already in your country of origin. If you have experienced violence from government authorities (for example, police officers, military personnel, secret service agents, border control agents, etc.) try to collect documents, if that is possible (for example, arrest warrants, police reports, summons, court papers, newspapers reports about you or your community, etc.). However, we understand that often this is not possible for various reasons. If you experienced violence from private individuals (for example family members, work colleagues, neighbours, etc.) and the police did not protect you, then it will be important that you explain this clearly. If anything has happened to you – like being arrested or harassed or if you have experienced violence, beatings, torture – then you should collect any evidence and bring it with you. Things like letters, emails, chats (Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Tiktok, etc.), photos, videos, etc. – anything that can clearly show that it is about you or directed to you personally or shows you yourself in a recognisable manner. Also, if you have scars or injuries – be strong enough to show them in the asylum procedure. If you needed medical care or were hospitalized because of the violence you experienced, try to keep all medical documents (for example doctor's reports, medication prescriptions, name tags, hospital admission and/or discharge papers, etc.) Anything that shows in some way how your life was in danger in your country will be useful in the asylum process. We know that this can be very difficult but it increases your chances to get asylum in Europe. If it is possible, collect all original documents. But also take photos of everything and make sure to have a back-up of everything in case your phone gets broken, stolen or lost. The easiest way to keep documents safe is to email them to yourself. This way they can always be retrieved again in the future from any device. Another important aspect of the European asylum system is that you will be registered in the country where you arrive in first. The country which registers you will be the one in charge of processing your request for asylum. In case you enter Europe with a visa, the country which issued your visa will automatically be the one responsible for your asylum request. This means, you cannot arrive in one country by airplane and then go to another country and ask for asylum there. Normally, the other countries will then not accept your claim but send you back to this first country. Generally,Switzerland tends to be more conservative than other countries when determining LGBT+ asylum petitions. In our experience, other countries such as for example the Netherlands or Germany appear to have a more liberal assessment policy.

 

Also important to know, here in Switzerland asylum procedures can take a long time (up to several years). During this time asylum seekers must live in asylum camps and cannot freely choose their place of residence. Unfortunately, in these places LGBT+ individuals are confronted with residents who often come from very homophobic societies themselves. This can create conflict and creates very uncomfortable living conditions. Other countries (see examples above), provide separate housing for LGBT+ asylum seekers. Regrettably, our federal government is so far not open to this concept. Also important to know, asylum seekers have only limited access to employment as long as their case is pending. They receive a bed, food, health insurance, and a very small amount of pocket money. We hope these information are useful to you and we wish you good luck. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to write to us again.

 

Cordial greetings,

 

Queeramnesty Switzerland