The Swiss Federal Council has decided upon the following permit quota numbers for 2021:

Work permit quotas for assignees from EU/EFTA:

L permits: 3’000

B permits: 500

Work permit quotas for non-EU/EFTA nationals:

L permits : 4’000

B permits : 4’500

For these categories the numbers will remain the same as they currently are for 2020.

Due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the UK will no longer apply from 1 January 2021. In order to enable companies in Switzerland to recruit skilled workers from the UK in the coming year, the Swiss Federal Council today decided on separate quotas for employed UK nationals for one year.

In 2021, up to 3,500 workers can be recruited from the UK:

L permits: 1’400

B permits: 2’100

This has been decided to ensure the necessary flexibility for the Swiss economy.

These maximum figures for the UK are valid for one year for the time being and are released to the cantons on a quarterly basis. This measure takes into account the exceptional situation in relation to the UK and represents a one-year transitional solution and is without prejudice to future regulations. Should no agreement on a future migration regime be reached in the course of next year, the separate UK quotas for the year 2022 can be integrated into the third country quota.