Important Updates
Important Updates
October 22, 2025 | SwedenSweden: New EU Blue Card Rules Forthcoming
October 22, 2025 | ChinaChina: Updated Online Visa Application System for U.S. Applicants Launched
October 22, 2025 | United KingdomFinancial Times: Scientists Charged Too Much to Come to Work in UK, Says Royal Society
October 22, 2025 | HungaryHungary: Change of Residence Permit Practice Relaxed
October 22, 2025 | 🌐Minimum Salary Changes Announced
October 22, 2025 | SwedenSweden: New EU Blue Card Rules Forthcoming
October 22, 2025 | ChinaChina: Updated Online Visa Application System for U.S. Applicants Launched
October 22, 2025 | United KingdomFinancial Times: Scientists Charged Too Much to Come to Work in UK, Says Royal Society
October 22, 2025 | HungaryHungary: Change of Residence Permit Practice Relaxed
October 22, 2025 | 🌐Minimum Salary Changes Announced
October 22, 2025 | SwedenSweden: New EU Blue Card Rules Forthcoming
Subscribe
Fragomen.com home
Select Language
  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German

Select Language

  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German
ContactCareersMediaClient Portal
Search Fragomen.com
  • Our Services
    For EmployersFor IndividualsBy IndustryCase Studies
  • Our Tech & Innovation
  • Our People
  • Our Insights
    Worldwide Immigration Trends ReportsMagellan SeriesImmigration AlertsEventsMedia MentionsFragomen NewsBlogsPodcasts & Videos
  • Spotlights
    Navigating Immigration Under the Second Trump AdministrationFragomen Consulting EuropeImmigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance RoadmapCenter for Strategy and Applied InsightsVietnamese ImmigrationView More
  • About Us
    About FragomenOfficesResponsible Business PracticesFirm GovernanceRecognition

Our Services

  • For Employers
  • For Individuals
  • By Industry
  • Case Studies

Our Tech & Innovation

  • Our Approach

Our People

  • Overview / Directory

Our Insights

  • Worldwide Immigration Trends Reports
  • Magellan Series
  • Immigration Alerts
  • Events
  • Media Mentions
  • Fragomen News
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts & Videos

Spotlights

  • Navigating Immigration Under the Second Trump Administration
  • Fragomen Consulting Europe
  • Immigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance Roadmap
  • Center for Strategy and Applied Insights
  • Vietnamese Immigration
  • View More

About Us

  • About Fragomen
  • Offices
  • Responsible Business Practices
  • Firm Governance
  • Recognition
Select Language
  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German

Select Language

  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German
ContactCareersMediaClient Portal
  • Insights

New Quotas Released for Switzerland in 2020

January 14, 2020

Country / Territory

  • SwitzerlandSwitzerland

Related offices

  • Zurich

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related offices

  • Zurich

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related offices

  • Zurich

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

By: Mihaela Dumitru

New Quotas Released for Switzerland in 2020

In November 2019, we provided an overview of the number of quotas available for EU and non-EU citizens, who wish to work and live in Switzerland. Read our previous blog on this topic here. This blog provides an update of the quotas available for 2020. 
 
If you have been following this topic, you are probably familiar with the Swiss quota system. Understanding how the quota system works is very important, as, for some of us, access to the Swiss employment market can be rather limited.  
 
For those of you reading our blog for the first time, if you want to work and live in Switzerland for more than four months, you must apply for a permit that is, in essence, a quota permit (except for EU 27/EEA on local employment). Depending on your nationality, there are two types of quota permits:  L permits and B permits.
 
Read more in this alert 
 
Quotas for Non-EU nationals
 

For the calendar year 2019, the Swiss Federal Council released a number of L (4,000) and B (4,500) permits for non-EU nationals, which were divided between the Cantons and the Federal Authority. In the last statistics report published by the State Secretariat for Migration, at the end of November 2019, the Swiss Federal Reserve still had available 646 B permits and 1,339 L permits (also including the previous year’s reserve). The total remaining cantonal stock at the end of November 2019 amounted to 443 B permits and 463 L permits.

On 27 November 2019, the State Secretariat for Migration published the new quotas available for 2020. The Federal Council is keeping the maximum number of quotas for 2020 at the same level as 2019. Its decision considered the economic needs and the current utilisation of the 2019 quotas and was a result of the consultation that was undertaken with the cantons and social partners.

In 2020, Switzerland-based companies will have 4,500 B permits and 4,000 L permits for non-EU national employees at their disposal. These quotas are released annually.

Quotas for EU Nationals on assignment

The number of quotas released for EU/EFTA nationals on assignment in Switzerland is also the same as 2019. EU/EFTA nationals will have 3,000 L permits and 500 B Permits at their disposal. If we take a quick look at the last statistics published at the end of November 2019, there were still 310 B permits and 1,888 L permits available.

Quotas for EU/EFTA nationals on assignment will be released as usual on a quarterly basis.

Quotas for Croatian nationals

For Croatian citizens, the quotas apply to both L and B permits, as Croatia is not yet a full EU member state. In January 2019, the Federal Authority released a limited number of 953 L permits and 103 B permits for Croatian nationals. The quotas are released quarterly and apply to individuals on local employment contracts only. At the end of November 2019, there were no more B permits remaining and only 96 available L permits.

For the year 2020, Croatian nationals will have 133 B permits and 1,158 L permits at their disposal. Learn more about the entry and residence of Croatian nationals in Switzerland here.

Quotas for U.K. nationals

In line with its "mind-the-gap" strategy, the Federal Council has also set separate limits for U.K. nationals in the event of a no-deal Brexit. If the U.K. were to leave the EU without a deal next year, a total of 3,500 U.K. workers could be assimilated in the Swiss economy — 2,100 with residence permits (B) and 1,400 with short-term residence permits (L).

The separate quotas are intended to mitigate the economic and cantonal consequences of a possible abrupt change for British nationals, from those entitled to free movement to third-country nationals. The quota system only applies in the case of a no-deal Brexit. If the U.K. leaves the EU with a negotiated withdrawal agreement, the free movement agreement will continue to apply during the agreed transitional period between Switzerland and the U.K.

Following this blog post, we will keep you updated with the developments surrounding the available quotas and other immigration topics. Should you have any questions or enquiries related to the topic discussed above, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or reach out to our Swiss Immigration team. In the meantime, if you are travelling to Switzerland, we wish you a lovely trip and a Happy New Year!

Country / Territory

  • SwitzerlandSwitzerland

Related offices

  • Zurich

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related offices

  • Zurich

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related offices

  • Zurich

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Explore more at Fragomen

Blog post

Costa Rica Family Relocation: Understanding Residency for Dependents

Immigration Director Adriana Martínez Garro explains the residency process in Costa Rica for families relocating with dependents, outlining key legal considerations and steps for securing status.

Learn more

Media mentions

Financial Times: Scientists Charged Too Much to Come to Work in UK, Says Royal Society

Fragomen contributed data showing how UK visa and health surcharge costs compare with other leading research nations.

Learn more

Fragomen news

Fragomen Contributes to Migration Observatory Report on Gender and Migration in the UK

Fragomen supported this report, which explores how gender shapes migration patterns, visa routes, employment and settlement in the UK.

Learn more

Blog post

Polish Citizenship Rules Under Review: What the Proposed Amendments Mean

Senior Associate Tomasz Rdzanek or Poland Immigration Strategy Director Tomasz Rogala discuss proposed changes to Poland’s citizenship law aimed at simplifying eligibility and clarifying naturalisation procedures for foreign nationals.

Learn more

Video

Oman Introduces a Golden Visa Program | #MobilityMinute

Manager David Makau discusses Oman's recent introduction of a Golden Visa program.

Learn more

Media mentions

The Stage: Actors, Dancers and Writers Set to Escape Visa Ban

Partner Louise Haycock highlights the inclusion of performing arts occupations on the temporary shortage list and what it means for international talent in the sector.

Learn more

Media mentions

Arts Professional: Creative Sector Must ‘Come Together’ to Give Artists Easier Access to Visas

Partner Louise Haycock highlights opportunities for easier access to overseas talent for the UK creative sector while guiding businesses through evolving visa rules.

Learn more

Blog post

British Citizenship for Adopted and Surrogate Children: What Families Should Know

Associate Amelia Haynes and Paralegal Clare Macmillan Bell discuss the legal considerations surrounding British citizenship for children born through adoption or surrogacy.

Learn more

Media mentions

Financial Times: Boom Time for Immigration Lawyers as US and UK Tighten Restrictions

Partner Bo Cooper provides insight on how evolving US and UK immigration policies, including recent H-1B changes, are shaping corporate mobility and compliance strategies.

Learn more

Video

Atividades Técnicas sob Status de Visitante | #MobilityMinute

O Diretor Executivo da Fragomen Brasil, Diogo Kloper, destaca uma atualização importante na política migratória brasileira, que muda significativamente o que estrangeiros podem fazer no país sob o status de visitante.

Learn more

Media mentions

Global Mobility Lawyer: Founders Without Frontiers: Navigating Immigration Rules for Start-Ups

Partner Rajiv Naik provides insight on how immigration frameworks across the UK, Europe and EMEA are evolving to support start-ups and entrepreneurial talent.

Learn more

Media mentions

The New York Times: Visiting the European Union? Expect to Give Your Biometric Data.

Partner Jo Antoons discusses the rollout of the EU's new Entry/Exit System.

Learn more

Blog post

Costa Rica Family Relocation: Understanding Residency for Dependents

Immigration Director Adriana Martínez Garro explains the residency process in Costa Rica for families relocating with dependents, outlining key legal considerations and steps for securing status.

Learn more

Media mentions

Financial Times: Scientists Charged Too Much to Come to Work in UK, Says Royal Society

Fragomen contributed data showing how UK visa and health surcharge costs compare with other leading research nations.

Learn more

Fragomen news

Fragomen Contributes to Migration Observatory Report on Gender and Migration in the UK

Fragomen supported this report, which explores how gender shapes migration patterns, visa routes, employment and settlement in the UK.

Learn more

Blog post

Polish Citizenship Rules Under Review: What the Proposed Amendments Mean

Senior Associate Tomasz Rdzanek or Poland Immigration Strategy Director Tomasz Rogala discuss proposed changes to Poland’s citizenship law aimed at simplifying eligibility and clarifying naturalisation procedures for foreign nationals.

Learn more

Video

Oman Introduces a Golden Visa Program | #MobilityMinute

Manager David Makau discusses Oman's recent introduction of a Golden Visa program.

Learn more

Media mentions

The Stage: Actors, Dancers and Writers Set to Escape Visa Ban

Partner Louise Haycock highlights the inclusion of performing arts occupations on the temporary shortage list and what it means for international talent in the sector.

Learn more

Media mentions

Arts Professional: Creative Sector Must ‘Come Together’ to Give Artists Easier Access to Visas

Partner Louise Haycock highlights opportunities for easier access to overseas talent for the UK creative sector while guiding businesses through evolving visa rules.

Learn more

Blog post

British Citizenship for Adopted and Surrogate Children: What Families Should Know

Associate Amelia Haynes and Paralegal Clare Macmillan Bell discuss the legal considerations surrounding British citizenship for children born through adoption or surrogacy.

Learn more

Media mentions

Financial Times: Boom Time for Immigration Lawyers as US and UK Tighten Restrictions

Partner Bo Cooper provides insight on how evolving US and UK immigration policies, including recent H-1B changes, are shaping corporate mobility and compliance strategies.

Learn more

Video

Atividades Técnicas sob Status de Visitante | #MobilityMinute

O Diretor Executivo da Fragomen Brasil, Diogo Kloper, destaca uma atualização importante na política migratória brasileira, que muda significativamente o que estrangeiros podem fazer no país sob o status de visitante.

Learn more

Media mentions

Global Mobility Lawyer: Founders Without Frontiers: Navigating Immigration Rules for Start-Ups

Partner Rajiv Naik provides insight on how immigration frameworks across the UK, Europe and EMEA are evolving to support start-ups and entrepreneurial talent.

Learn more

Media mentions

The New York Times: Visiting the European Union? Expect to Give Your Biometric Data.

Partner Jo Antoons discusses the rollout of the EU's new Entry/Exit System.

Learn more

Stay in touch

Subscribe to receive our latest immigration alerts

Subscribe

Our firm

  • About
  • Careers
  • Firm Governance
  • Media Inquiries
  • Recognition

Information

  • Attorney Advertising
  • Legal Notices
  • Privacy Policies
  • UK Regulatory Requirements

Our firm

  • About
  • Careers
  • Firm Governance
  • Media Inquiries
  • Recognition

Information

  • Attorney Advertising
  • Legal Notices
  • Privacy Policies
  • UK Regulatory Requirements

Have a question?

Contact Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

© 2025 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Please note that the content made available on this site is not intended for visitors / customers located in the province of Quebec, and the information provided is not applicable to the Quebec market. To access relevant information that applies to the Quebec market, please click here.