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The Swiss government has set work permit quotas for 2025, leaving them unchanged for EU/European Free Trade Association (EFTA), non-EU/EFTA and U.K. nationals.
Quotas for 2025 are as follows:
Additional Information: Foreign nationals may apply for L permits if they are staying in Switzerland temporarily for a specific purpose, generally for less than one year, and who may or may not be gainfully employed. B permits are issued to foreign nationals who are staying in Switzerland permanently for a specific purpose and who may or may not be gainfully employed. More information regarding these permits is available here.
Due to the withdrawal of the U.K. from the EU, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the U.K. has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2021. To enable companies in Switzerland to recruit skilled workers from the U.K., the Swiss Federal Council decided to keep separate quotas for employed U.K. nationals again in 2025.
Finally, the Federal Council adopted an amendment to the Ordinance on the Free Movement of Persons to grant Croatian nationals full access to the Swiss labor market effective Jan. 1, 2025.
BAL Analysis: After increasing quotas in 2019 to address labor shortages and respond to business demands for greater access to skilled workers, Swiss officials have decided to keep the same quotas for the sixth year in a row despite less than full utilization of the quotas in recent years.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.
Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
The Swiss Federal Council announced a new digital visa format will come into force Feb. 1, 2024, to align with a new EU platform.
Key Points:
Additional Information: The European Council announced the approval for the digitalization of the Schengen visa process on Nov. 13. The online platform will simplify the application process for travelers and reduce barriers in the EU visa application process. Applicants will be able to enter all relevant data, upload electronic copies of travel documents and supporting documents, pay visa fees and replace the current visa sticker with a cryptographically signed barcode.
BAL Analysis: Swiss officials confirmed that the new digitized visa procedure will apply not only to short-stay Schengen visas but also to visas for stays exceeding 90 days, called “national visas.” The government confirmed that the future of Schengen visa applications will be digitized on an EU platform, and Switzerland will align itself with this modernization.
Copyright © 2023 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
The Swiss government has set work permit quotas for 2024, leaving them unchanged for EU/EFTA, non-EU/EFTA and U.K. nationals.
Quotas for 2024 are as follows:
Due to the withdrawal of the U.K. from the EU, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the U.K. has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2021. To enable companies in Switzerland to recruit skilled workers from the U.K., the Swiss Federal Council decided to keep separate quotas for employed U.K. nationals again in 2024.
The Federal Council has also decided to extend the safeguard clause for Croatia for 2024. The number of permits issued to workers from Croatia in 2024 will be capped at 1,204 B permits and 1,053 L permits.
BAL Analysis: After increasing the quotas in 2019 to address labor shortages and respond to business demands for greater access to skilled workers, Swiss officials have decided to keep the same quotas for the fifth year in a row despite less than full utilization of the quotas in recent years.
The Swiss Federal Council announced protection status S will remain in place for Ukrainian refugees until March 2025.
• Government officials originally granted protection status S to Ukrainian refugees in March 2022, citing the ongoing conflict with Russia and the need to offer temporary protection to those in need. • An estimated 66,000 Ukrainian refugees have protection status S in Switzerland. • Protection status S can only be lifted by the Federal Council, and they have confirmed that unless the situation fundamentally changes, it will remain in place.
BAL Analysis: The European Council also recently extended temporary protection to Ukrainian refugees until March 2025. The Swiss government aligned with the EU in extending protection to provide clarity to employers as well as Ukrainian refugees.
IMPACT — MEDIUM
The Swiss government announced that it will centralize and expand its immigration services in Zurich.
BAL Analysis: Swiss authorities are centralizing and expanding immigration services in Zurich to help reduce processing and service delays across the country, as there has been an uptick in immigration needs due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.
Switzerland recently relaxed work permit rules for highly skilled non-EU nationals.
BAL Analysis: Swiss authorities relaxed work permit rules to help highly skilled foreign workers obtain work permits in Switzerland more easily and to reduce delays by simplifying the application process.
The Swiss government recently expanded its online immigration services, allowing some third-country nationals to submit work permit applications online.
Additional Information: Swiss employers can now submit value-added tax returns by following the “VAT-declaration easy” process through their EasyGov portal.
BAL Analysis: Swiss authorities plan to expand their online services through EasyGov in the coming months and years with the long-term goal of simplifying and streamlining the work permit application process in all 26 cantons.
Copyright © 2022 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
The governments of Switzerland and the U.K. have extended their Services Mobility Agreement until January 2026.
Background: Having provisionally been in effect since Jan. 1, 2021, the SMA maintains ease of access for service providers following the end of the free movement of persons between Switzerland and the U.K. following the U.K.’s withdrawal from the EU. It regulates market access and temporary stays for service providers, such as business consultants, IT experts and engineers.
BAL Analysis: The extension of the SMA between the U.K. and Switzerland is positive news, as it will allow certain professionals and other services workers to continue traveling freely between the two countries to work without work permit approval for up to 90 days a year. This extension gives businesses flexibility when conducting business or providing services between Switzerland and the United Kingdom without complications and delays that would be applicable if an individual required a work permit in either country.
The Swiss government has set work permit quotas for 2023, leaving them unchanged for EU/EFTA, non-EU/EFTA and U.K. nationals.
Quotas for 2023 will be set as follows:
Additional Information: Foreign nationals can apply for L permits if they are staying in Switzerland temporarily for a specific purpose, generally for less than one year, and who may or may not be gainfully employed. B permits are issued to foreign nationals who are staying in Switzerland permanently for a specific purpose and who may or may not be gainfully employed. More information regarding these permits is available here.
Due to the withdrawal of the U.K. from the EU, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the U.K. has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2021. In order to enable companies in Switzerland to recruit skilled workers from the U.K., the Swiss Federal Council decided to keep separate quotas for employed U.K. nationals again in 2023. The Swiss government announced last week that it will set work permit quotas for Croatian nationals under Switzerland’s agreement with the EU on the free movement of people.
BAL Analysis: After increasing the quotas in 2019 to address labor shortages and respond to business demands for greater access to skilled workers, Swiss officials have decided to keep the same quotas for EU/EFTA and non-EU/EFTA nationals for the fourth year in a row.
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:
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.