How was the Portuguese community integrated into Switzerland? Report from French-speaking Switzerland – rts.ch

During major football competitions, it is difficult to ignore the Seleção's victories and celebrations. Da Silva, Ferreira, Pereira, these are the most common surnames in French-speaking Switzerland. In the section of Coop or Migros, there are brands such as Sumol, Super bock or the leading products of Portuguese-speaking gastronomy.

On April 25, Portuguese society celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. It ended several decades of dictatorship. An opportunity to give a voice to immigrant children. On Instagram, we received more than a hundred responses to our call for testimony. Always with the same desire: to pay tribute to those loved ones who left everything in the hope of finding a better life.

In 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics, 260,462 Portuguese men and women lived in Switzerland. This is 3^e Foreign community in the country. The Portuguese government pays for Portuguese language lessons for every student with an immigrant background. The result: all Portuguese children living in Switzerland benefited.

The first wave of migration began in the 1980s. The reason: poverty in the country and the shock of Salazar's dictatorship. Why choose Switzerland? A family member is already there, or job opportunities are emerging.

Today, the generation of Portuguese speakers from the first wave of immigration is reaching retirement age. The problem: They often find themselves receiving low salaries, not enough to be able to live in French-speaking Switzerland. So it's time to go back. There are more and more Swiss in Portugal. In 2023, there will be 6,900 of them. It is the European country that recorded the largest increase in the number of Swiss immigrants, more than 13.4%.

Helen Joachim