A preliminary decision taking into account the current conditions of the labour market must be obtained by third-country nationals before they can take up employment in Switzerland. The residence permit is subsequently issued by the Migration Office.
On 1st of November , the so-called dual admission system was introduced with regard to the admission of foreign nationals intending to take up gainful employment in Switzerland. Third-country nationals who wish to take up gainful employment in Switzerland need a permit irrespective of the duration of their stay. Please find all the details about preliminary decisions as well as the application form under Economy and Labour.
The Federal Council, i. Use the accordion controls to toggle the visibility of each panel below the controls. Yes, you may. Quotas are quantitative limits defined by the Federal Council on an annual basis.
In , a total of 8, specialists from third countries may be recruited. This equals the quota of the previous year and exceeds the quota of by There are 4, residence permits B and 4, short-term permits L available. A step-by-step procedure applies to the application for a work permit. If a foreign national who resides outside of the Canton of Zurich wishes to take up gainful employment in the Canton of Zurich, the Migration Office will grant an approval to take up employment once a positive preliminary decision is issued.
In the reverse case, an approval to take up employment must be obtained by the respective Canton. Besides short-term permits related to temporary work permits of less than one year and residence permits related to permanent or multi-year work permits, third-country nationals may also apply for a shorter stay allowing gainful employment in Switzerland. Such short stays of less than four months are not subject to quotas. Foreign nationals who were granted an entry permit to take up gainful employment or to provide cross-border services in Switzerland for a total of four months within 12 months do not need to register and are not required to get a foreign national identity card.
