Since January 1st, 2021 the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the United Kingdom no longer applies, therefore a separate quota for employing UK nationals is now applicable.
Third country nationals
8’500 specialists from non-EU/EFTA countries may be recruited in Switzerland. - 4'000 quotas for L short-term residence permits - 4'500 quotas for B residence permits
Service providers from EU/EFTA countries
The maximum number of service providers (i.e. expatriates) from EU/EFTA countries remains unchanged. - 3'000 quotas for L short-term residence permits - 500 quotas for B residence permits
Croatian citizens
The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons stipulates that Switzerland may unilaterally reintroduce permit quotas for a limited period of time if immigration from Croatia exceeds a certain threshold. The Federal Council therefore unilaterally activated the safeguard clause provided for in the AFMP from 1 January to 31 December 2023 and reintroduced permit quotas for Croatian nationals. Between January and the end of October, Switzerland issued the entire quota of B permits (i.e. 1,204 permits, valid for five years) and 76 per cent of the available 1,053 L permits (i.e. short-term permits, renewable beyond twelve months) for 2023. Given the high demand for permits this year, the Federal Council has decided to extend the safeguard clause for a further year. The safeguard clause can only be invoked for two consecutive years. Full freedom of movement for Croatian nationals will therefore come back into force again in 2025.
UK citizens
The agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the UK is no longer applicable since January 1st, 2021, following the UK's departure from the EU. Up to 3'500 workers may be recruited from the UK next year. - 1'400 quotas for L short-term residence permits - 2'100 quotas for B residence permits The federal council plans to intends to incorporate the separate quota for UK nationals into the regular quota for third-country nationals in the medium term.
The protection status S is extended
At the beginning of November 2023, due to the unstable situation in Ukraine, the Federal Council decided to extend the protection status S for Ukrainian citizens until March 2025. Support measures will be extended by one year until March 2025. The Swiss Confederation also contributes CHF 3000 per person per year. At the same time, efforts are made to integrate as many Ukrainian refugees as possible into the labour market. The aim is to increase the employment from the current level of 20 % to 40 % by end of 2024. The protective permit S was designed to be return-oriented. When the extreme and general danger no longer exists, the protective status will be lifted and a return to the country of origin is planned.
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