Tag Archives: Immigration

A survey of expats published on 12 July 2022 ranks Switzerland 43rd out of 52 nations on ease of settling in. © Niccolo Pontigia | Dreamstime.comThe definition of an expat is based on the sample used in the Expat Insider 2022 survey. This group was 46 years old on average, more female (52%) than male (47%), most likely to have moved to Switzerland for work (51%) and was well paid – 56% earned US$ 100,000 or more. Close to a third (31%) worked in either IT, healthcare or pharmaceuticals....

As part of a revision of the rules related to foreigners in Switzerland the federal government has concluded discussions around cutting welfare entitlements for nationals from much of the world, reported the newspaper Le Matin. © Photosbypanda | Dreamstime.comDiscussions on restricting the welfare paid to some foreigners, which have been going on for some time, concluded on 3 May 2022. The resulting plan aims to cut the amounts of welfare paid in the first three years of residence. It...

Recently published statistics show that more than half of the residents in certain parts of France were employed in Switzerland in 2018. © Sergii Figurnyi | Dreamstime.comThe data, published by INSEE, a French statistics agency, found that more than half of households in the communes du Genevois, Pays de Gex and Annemasse-Les Voirons, all regions bordering Switzerland, contained family members who worked abroad, almost all of them in Switzerland. In the communes du Genevois, 67% of...

In response to rising welfare costs, Switzerland’s Federal Council has put forward a proposal to cut the amounts paid to non-EU immigrants in Switzerland, reported RTS. © Arsty | Dreamstime.comBetween 2010 and 2019, the cost of welfare in Switzerland rose by CHF 0.9 billion to CHF 2.8 billion (+47%), straining the finances of some cantons and municipalities. The Federal Council has put forward a proposal to contain this rising cost and to encourage better integration into the workforce....

A group called Opération Libero and the Green party plan to come together to launch a referendum to require Switzerland’s federal government to sign new deal with the EU. © VanderWolfImages | Dreamstime.comAt a meeting on 26 May 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council evaluated the results of Switzerland’s negotiations with the EU around the institutional framework agreement, an agreement aimed at replacing the country’s current patchwork of agreements with the bloc, and decided not to sign,...

On 27 October 2021, the Federal Council put forward a plan to change the rules around foreign students working in Switzerland upon completing study at a Swiss university. © Anuwat Sonhan | Dreamstime.comThe proposed rules would allow those graduating from Swiss universities with masters or doctorates in fields with a shortage of workers to work in Switzerland more easily. The changes would reduce the administrative requirements for obtaining a Swiss work permit. However, a maximum annual...

Those with a migration background in Switzerland are on average financially worse off than those without, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office. And those with a migration background pay on average 10% more per square metre of living space than the rest of the population. © | Dreamstime.comIn Switzerland, around 20% of those with a migration background have trouble making ends meet, compared to 7% of the rest of the population. On average, people without a migration...

Britta Glennon reports in an NBER working paper that the two go together. Skilled immigration restrictions may have secondary consequences that have been largely overlooked in the immigration debate: multinational firms faced with visa constraints have an offshoring option, namely, hiring the labor they need at their foreign affiliates. If multinationals use this option, then restrictive migration policies are unlikely to have the desired effects of increasing employment of natives,...

© Alexirina27000 | Dreamstime.com Switzerland’s Federal Council announced on June 2 that it plans to maintain border restrictions with Italy until further notice as a reciprocal border arrangement with Italy would be premature. From 3 June 2020, Swiss residents will be able to travel to and return from Italy, but Italians or Italian residents will not be able to travel to and from Switzerland unless they are able to under current border restrictions, for example...

Switzerland’s Federal Council plans to lift all travel restrictions and re-establish free movement of persons across the Schengen area no later than 6 July 2020 and possibly as early as mid June, it announced today. © Scaliger | Dreamstime.comIf the epidemiological evolution allows, restrictions on entering, working and living in Switzerland will be lifted for all Schengen states from mid-June and no later than 6 July, said the government. The Schengen area, which consists of 26...