Work Permit Quotas for B and L Permits Reduced for 2015

The Swiss Federal Council has reduced the annual quotas for B and L-Permit applicants from non - EU/ European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries or Croatia, as well as for applicants from EU/EFTA countries on assignment in Switzerland. 

B-Permits for non-EU/EFTA citizens, used for stays of more than one year, will be capped at 2,500 in 2015. L-Permits, for initial stays between four months and one year, will be set at 4,000. 

The L-Permit quota for EU/EFTA nationals on assignment will be 2,000 in 2015, and the B-Permit quota will be 250. 

Work permit quotas apply to first-time applicants and those converting an L-Permit into a B-Permit only. Applicants renewing their work permits are not subject to the quotas. 

Quota Exhaustion Expectations 

The quota numbers for non-EU/EFTA citizens or Croatia will be released in January 2015, and it is expected that this quota may be exhausted by the end of the third or beginning of the fourth quarter. 

The quota for EU/EFTA nationals on assignment is released on a quarterly basis and it is expected to be exhausted by the middle to end of each quarter, which can lead to delays until the numbers for the next quarter are released. 

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals 

Foreign nationals should submit work permit applications for work planned in 2015 as soon as possible to avoid rejections due to the quota. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

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