Among the arguments the rightwing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) uses to justify its anti-immigration stance is that foreigners remain in Switzerland indefinitely. But an expert – and official statistics – say this is not the case.
The SVP’s ‘No to Million’ initiative, which will be voted on in a referendum in November, is based on the premise that the increasing number of foreigners who come – and- remain – in Switzerland, will overburden key infrastructure, such as housing, public transport, the health system, and schools.
Therefore, the proposal stipulates that “Switzerland’s permanent resident population must not exceed ten million people before 2050. From 2050 onwards, the Federal Council may adjust this limit annually.”
READ ALSO: What exactly does the Swiss ‘no to 10 million’ anti-immigration proposal aim to do?
But despite SVP’s claims, most immigrants from the EU don’t remain in Switzerland indefinitely.
‘Not an Eldorado’
In fact, according to Patrick Chuard-Keller, chief economist at the Swiss Employers’ Association, every year, 30,000 Europeans leave the country.
Half of them leave Switzerland after five years, and after 10 years, 60 percent of EU nationals have returned home.
Among the main reasons for the departures are the high cost of living and the difficulty of integration, he said.
This argument is supported by another expert, a business economist Rödiger Voss.
“Switzerland is not an Eldorado where wealth is handed to you on a silver platter,” he said.
“For instance, the cost of living in Switzerland, poses a real obstacle for immigrants. Rent, food, insurance, and childcare are all expensive. Even with a higher salary, there is often less money left at the end of the month.”
Furthermore, the reserved nature of the Swiss also complicates integration.
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Let’s crunch the numbers
Figures cited by Chuard-Keller are culled from the data published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) in 2025.
It recorded the comings and goings of EU and EFTA citizens (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) over a 10-year-period – from 2015 to 2025 – finding that approximately 30,000 leave within the first year.
In concrete terms, of those who arrived in 2015, nearly one in five had left the country that same year, while 38 percent did so after two years, and more than half after five years.
Ten years after their arrival, 60 percent- that is, more than 100,000 people have left Switzerland.
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But the high cost of living and integration difficulties are not the only reasons for these departures.
Even though Swiss economy offers many advantages for foreigners and the free movement of people is “very flexible” and adapted to the needs of the economy and the labour market, many immigrants “quickly leave the country if their profile doesn’t match employers’ expectations,” Chuard-Keller pointed out.
“Only those who find their place and establish themselves in the local market can stay. The numerous early departures clearly show that it’s not easy.”
READ ALSO: Why so many foreign residents end up leaving Switzerland
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This conclusion was also supported by another recent study on why immigrants leave Switzerland.
“People tend to forget that people who immigrate don’t necessarily settle down,” said sociologist Liliana Azevedo from the Swiss Research Center for Migration at the University of Neuchâtel.
“Work is what binds people to Switzerland. Unemployment, insecure or unskilled jobs, are all obstacles to remaining in the country for more than a few years,” she said.
READ ALSO: ‘We wanted to stay’: Why some foreigners in Switzerland have to leave
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However when The Local asked our own readers why they left or intend to leave Switzerland the responses revealed various motives – although one prominent was the desire to retire to a cheaper country.
“Switzerland has become unaffordable for a lot of people,” said one commentator, echoing the views of many, including reader David Heard.
“As a foreign person who has worked in Switzerland since 2007 and is now facing retirement, I will not have a large enough pension to remain in Switzerland,” Heard said.
“I will move to a lower cost country where my Swiss pension will cover my cost of living and where I can afford to buy a house without a mortgage.”
Others cited difficulties foreigners face in settling and integrating in Switzerland as one of the chief reasons for why they end up leaving.
“Switzerland seems welcoming, but it is hard work, as a foreigner,” said Deborah Jutzeler.
