The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) bid to cut the number of EU nationals allowed to work in Switzerland has been rife with grey areas. Now some of them are a bit clearer.
Until now, only the main points of the the SVP’s ‘No to 10 million’ initiative have been known.
Its basic premise is to reduce the influx of foreigners to Switzerland, so that the country’s population doesn’t exceed the 10-million mark. The populist party argues that this would overburden key infrastructure, such as housing, public transport, the health system and schools.
READ MORE: What exactly does the Swiss ‘no to 10 million’ anti-immigration proposal aim to do?
The finer points of the proposed measure, however – including how many immigrants would still be allowed to work in Switzerland – have been shrouded in mystery.
But with the national referendum on this issue set for June 14th, more details have emerged in recent days.
These are some of them:
Quotas
The SVP leadership envisions re-introducing an immigration quota system, like the one Switzerland had in place until 2001 – that is, the year the agreement on the free movement of persons with the European Union was signed.
Since then, people from EU and EFTA states (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) have had an unlimited access to Switzerland’s labour market, with the quota system applying only to third-country nationals.
At the time, approximately 50,000 foreign workers entered Switzerland each year, prompting SVP deputy Thomas Knutti to ask his party colleagues whether this could be a viable figure, should the proposal be approved in June.
Figures
Based on interviews the SVP deputies have given to the Swiss media in recent days, the number of EU and EFTA nationals permitted to come to Switzerland for work would range between 40,000 and 60,000 a year.
If this actually happens, it would be good news because these figures are only slightly lower than the number of EU/EFTA citizens immigrating to Switzerland in recent years, which averaged between 50,000 and 70,000 since 2022.
Many questions still remain unanswered, however.
For instance, it is not clear whether – contrary to the current practice of free access – EU/EFTA nationals would have to apply for a work permit before entering Switzerland.
And, once admitted, will these people be allowed to remain in Switzerland long-term, or will their employment contracts be limited in time?
Also, another question which begs to be answered is: What would happen to immigrants from so-called ‘third countries’?
The proposal targets specifically EU/EFTA citizens, since they constitute the vast majority of foreign workforce in Switzerland.
The initiative doesn’t, however, address the issue of whether people from outside EU/EFTA will be subject to similar restrictions.
Even the SVP itself doesn’t know how this group of foreigners will be handled and what, if any, restrictions will be imposed on them.
In an interview with The Local in 2025, SVP deputy Yvan Pahud, one of the initiative’s instigators, said that “it is too early at this stage to answer this question, as the Federal Council and Parliament will have to finalise the details”.
He added: “They can either eliminate the preference for EU countries or maintain a preference based on agreements that can be reached with the EU.”
