Overview

As the first quarter of the year has passed it is timely to take a detailed look at the Swiss immigration statistics. The federal authorities regularly publish statistics on the exhaustion of Swiss immigration quotas. For Swiss employers it is important to know that certain permit types are subject to quotas and that these are limited in number, depending on the future employee’s nationality and type of employment in Switzerland. The quotas are released on a yearly or quarterly basis and are distributed among the cantons and the federal authorities.

In this blog we examine the numbers of used and still available quotas among the different permit types and nationalities in the first quarter of 2023. This can help you plan your upcoming employment and assignments in Switzerland.

Work Permit Quotas 2023

Quotas for EU/ EFTA Nationals on Assignment :
For the year 2023 the Swiss Federal Council released 3,500 quotas for assignees from EU/EFTA countries, of which 500 are B permits and 3,000 are L released on a quarterly basis. While B permits are applicable for long-term assignments, L permits apply for short-term assignments. The numbers below show the currently used quotas and a comparison with the situation in 2022:

For the remainder of 2023 there are still 455 B permits and 2,591 L permits left.

The number of short-term assignments based on L permits is slightly higher than at the end of March 2023 while the exhaustion of B permits is somewhat smaller than last year.

Quotas for Non-EU Nationals :
For the year 2023 the Swiss Federal Council kept the number of quotas at the same level as in recent years. Again, this year there are 8,500 quotas in total for specialists from non-EU countries, of which 4,500 are B permits 4,000 are L permits. These quotas are released on a yearly basis.

The numbers of quotas used by end-March 2023 and in the first quarter of 2022 is as follows:

For the rest of 2023 there are still 3,645 B permits and 3,194 L permits available.

Quotas for UK Nationals:
Since Brexit, UK nationals also fall under the category of third-country nationals and work permits for UK nationals are also subject to quotas. The Swiss government has decided that UK nationals have their own quota contingent, specifically issued for them.

For the year 2023 the Swiss Federal Council issued 3,500 quotas, of which 2,100 are B permits and 1,400 are L permits for specialists from the UK. The summary of these quotas is below:

The number of used quotas for UK nationals remains low and there are still 1,957 B permits and 1,319 L permits available for the remainder of the year 2023.

To summarise, the numbers of used quotas for both permit types L and B for Non-EU nationals including UK nationals remains almost identical to the previous year, pointing to stabilisation after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Quotas for Croatian Nationals:
Since 1 January 2023 Swiss work permits for Croatian nationals are again subject to quotas and this may continue until end-2024.
For the year 2023 the Swiss Federal Council defined the number of available quotas for specialists from Croatia at 1,204 B permits and 1,053 L permits. The quotas are released on a quarterly basis and the numbers used by the end of March 2023 look as follows:

The fact that the B permit quotas released in the first quarter of the year have been completely exhausted emphasises the importance for Swiss employers to plan start dates for Croatian nationals in advance and to manage expectations accordingly. For the rest of 2023 there are still 916 B permits and 943 L permits available for Croatian nationals.

Deloitte's view

The end-March 2023 figures show that the take-up of almost all permit types remains within the same parameters as last year, with minor changes for the quotas for work permits for EU/EFTA assignments. There are slightly more short-term assignments compared to the previous year.
On the other hand, the newly introduced B permit quotas for Croatian nationals have been completely exhausted in the first quarter. Therefore, the evolution of demand for available quotas for Croatian nationals in coming months should be closely watched, especially by companies recruiting Croatian nationals regularly.

If you would like to discuss this topic or if you have any questions, please do reach out to our key contacts below.

Key contacts

Jehona Islami - Director, Immigration

Jehona is a Director at Deloitte and part of the Immigration Team in Switzerland. She started her career in 2008 and has been able to gain extensive experience in the field of immigration throughout her career so far. She has been supporting both, corporates as well as private clients with their immigration needs for Switzerland. In the last few years, her focus has been on immigration advisory services mainly for private clients, but not exclusively, as well as providing support to corporate clients on best practices and compliance in immigration.

Email

Aysun Inceleme - Manager, Immigration

Aysun is an Immigration Manager within Deloitte’s Global Employer Services. She enjoys working with different global and local clients and being the mediator between clients and the Swiss authorities. In her day-to-day business her focus lies in advisory on the Swiss immigration law and requirements to ensure a smooth delivery of our services. Aysun holds a master’s degree in political science and public law. She studied in Zurich and worked at the Swiss Embassy in Albania before she joined Deloitte as an immigration consultant in November 2017.

Email

 

Kelly Wurmser - Consultant, Immigration

Kelly is an Immigration Consultant within the Deloitte’s Global Employer Services practice in Switzerland. She started her career 2020 after graduating from the University of Zurich. In her daily work, Kelly advises corporate, internal and private clients on their Swiss immigration needs and provides support to ensure compliance with Swiss immigration requirements.

Email