1 Swiss Immigration Law – application in 26 different cantons

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Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe and consists of 26 cantons. Switzerland has one law regulating immigration, the so called Federal Act on Foreign Nationals FNA. This Act regulates the entry and exit, residence and family reunification of foreign nationals in Switzerland. It regulates especially the application process for Non-EU/-EFTA passport holders. The application of the FNA is the responsibility of the cantons, in other words the process can vary if an application for an Indian citizen is submitted in Zürich, Basel or Geneva. The differences can be in;

  • the cantonal form,
  • required signatures,
  • required enclosures,
  • depth of required proofs to be submitted that no suitable domestic employee or citizen of states with which an agreement on the free movement of workers has been concluded, has been found,
  • quotas,
  • processing time (varies between 2 weeks to 3 months).

Companies who have legal entities in different cantons should consider where they employ and apply for a working permit for a Non-EU/-EFTA passport holder. THEN, when they get a permit in one canton, the person could work in the whole of Switzerland!

For further questions to this matter and the Swiss work permit application process please do not hesitate to contact International HR Services Ltd.