Work permit quotas to be set for Croatian nationals

IMPACT — MEDIUM

The Swiss government announced that it will set work permit quotas for Croatian nationals under Switzerland’s agreement with the EU on the free movement of people.

Key Point:

• Quotas will be set for B and L work permits for Croatian nationals on Jan. 1, 2023. Croatian nationals have had full freedom of movement since Jan. 1, 2022.

Background: The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU was extended to Croatia through an additional protocol that came into force on Jan. 1, 2017. Since Jan. 1, 2022, quotas have not been set for Croatian nationals. The AFMP safeguard clause allows Switzerland to reintroduce permit quotas for a limited period of time if immigration from Croatia exceeds a certain threshold. This threshold is reached when the number of permits issued in a given year is more than 10% higher than the average of the previous three years.

BAL Analysis: Swiss authorities will implement work permit quotas on Croatian nationals because of a rapid increase in foreign nationals moving to Switzerland for work in 2022.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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