Switzerland

Second-quarter L-Permit quotas for EU nationals exhausted

4 May 15

SWITZERLAND

IMPACT – MEDIUM 

What is the change? Switzerland has exhausted second-quarter L permit quotas for EU nationals.

What does the change mean? Employees looking to hire EU nationals on an L Permit should follow procedures established in their canton on what to do next.

  • Implementation time frame: Immediate and ongoing.
  • Visas/permits affected: L Permits.
  • Who is affected: Employers sponsoring EU nationals for assignments exceeding four months.
  • Business impact: Timelines may have to be pushed back for employers looking to hire EU nationals.
  • Next steps: Procedures vary from canton to canton.

Background: Swiss authorities are admitting fewer highly skilled foreign workers this year than they did last year. The annual cap for L permits for assignees from EU countries dropped from 3,000 in 2014 to 2,000 this year. Second-quarter L permits for EU nationals have been exhausted and cantons are setting different procedures on how to handle the excess of demand.

To avoid rejections, applicants in Zurich are encouraged to withdraw all open requests and file them at the beginning of June for the third quarter, which begins July 1. In Basel, authorities have said they will establish a preliminary decision that will allow assignees to start work. Quotas will be issued July 1. And in Lausanne, applicants are encouraged to use the online registration procedure to submit applications at the beginning of June. BAL continues to investigate options in all other cantons.

BAL Analysis: Affected employers should contact their BAL attorney to find suitable alternatives.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Switzerland. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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