The Swiss government is seeking to enforce two measures concerning foreign residents: one related to the work permit types and the other to family reunification.
Let’s look at the work permit one first
Most citizens of the European Union and EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), receive a B permit for employment exceeding one year.
However, there are also categories of EU/EFTA workers who are employed in Switzerland on temporary assignments, not exceeding 364 days, as well those who work here under the so-called ‘Labour Leasing’ arrangement.
Currently, more than 6,000 companies in Switzerland are active in temporary recruitment and leasing services.
This is how the government defines this category: “An employer surrenders the services of an employee to a labour leasing company by entrusting to the leasing company part of its managerial powers over the employee. This most often applies to interim or temporary work.”
They typically receive short-term L permits.
However, in some cases these people “request residence permits and social benefits,” according to the government.
In fact, a survey conducted among the cantons “revealed that these people, generally employed for a period of less than one year, sometimes received residence permits [B] instead of short-term permits [L],” the Federal Council said in a press relese.
In response to these practices, the government wants to tighten the rules concerning this category of workers.
To accomplish this goal, the Free Movement of Persons Agreement between Bern and Brussels will have to be revised accordingly to ensure that uniform rules apply in all cantons,” the Federal Council said.
The Federal Department of Justice and Police ((DFJP) will develop a corresponding project by the end of 2025.
Advertisement
The second measure: Government wants ‘family reunification immigrants’ to register for career counselling
Foreigners who immigrate to Switzerland under the family reunification rules, will be required to register with a career guidance service, the Federal Council announced.
The aim of this measure is “to promote the professional integration of this target group and to put their professional potential to better use,” the government said.
This measure is all the more important given Switzerland’s hrinic labour shortages.
It will apply to all people of working age.
Concretely, “after gainful employment, family reunification was the second most common reason for immigration in 2024. To identify the potential of these new arrivals more quickly and thus better integrate them into the Swiss job market, the Federal Council is proposing to create a legal basis requiring registration with a vocational, academic, and career guidance service.”
The DFJP will develop, by the end of January 2026, a project aimed at including this requirement in the law.
