No Work Permit Quotas for Most EU Nationals

Most EU nationals will soon be able to work in Switzerland without restriction when work permit quota limits introduced last year expire. The Swiss government has announced that it will not renew the quotas for long-term work permits – known as B-Permits. The quotas expired on April 30 for EU-8 states and will expire on May 31 for EU-17 states. Bulgarian, Croatian and Romanian nationals will continue to require work authorization and to be subject to quotas. 

Though Swiss voters in February approved a referendum that will eventually reintroduce annual quotas for EU and European Free Trade Area (EFTA) nationals, it will take Swiss lawmakers months or even years to write and approve legislation to implement the initiative. The long-term impact remains unclear at this time and will largely depend on how the initiative is ultimately implemented by Swiss lawmakers. 

The EU-17 countries are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The EU-8 countries consist of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. 

What This Means for Employers 

Once the quotas expire, most EU nationals will be allowed to enter Switzerland and begin working without restrictions. These EU nationals will still be required to register with local authorities with jurisdiction over their place of residence in Switzerland, but no further immigration formalities will be necessary. 

Bulgarian, Croatian and Romanian nationals will still have to apply for work authorization and wait for an approval before they can start to work in Switzerland. Work authorization for these nationals will continue to be subject to annual quotas. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

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