On 26 November 2025 the Swiss Federal Council confirmed that the headline quota for skilled professionals from outside the EU/EFTA will stay unchanged in 2026. Employers will again have access to 8,500 authorisations—4,500 B-residence permits and 4,000 L-short-term permits—under the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Activity (OASA). Quotas for long assignments of EU/EFTA service-providers remain fixed at 3,500 (3,000 L and 500 B), while the post-Brexit carve-out for UK citizens continues with 3,500 permits (2,100 B, 1,400 L).
The decision follows consultations with cantons and business federations, which argued that net migration already hit a 17-year high in 2025 and that capacity in housing and public transport is stretched. Still, data show quotas were only 74 % utilised last year, suggesting room for growth if demand spikes.
![Federal Council Freezes 2026 Work-Permit Quotas for Non-EU Talent]()
For mobility teams the status quo offers planning certainty: systems and budget assumptions for 2025 carry over into the new year. Yet competition for permits in high-demand cantons such as Zug and Basel is expected to intensify if the biotech and commodities sectors press ahead with announced expansion projects. Early Q1 filings and precise labour-market-test documentation will remain best practice.
The government also hinted that quotas could be revisited mid-year should Parliament adopt the newly proposed annual-ceiling model (see separate story). Corporate counsel should therefore monitor both legislative and quota-usage developments to avoid mid-season surprises.
The decision follows consultations with cantons and business federations, which argued that net migration already hit a 17-year high in 2025 and that capacity in housing and public transport is stretched. Still, data show quotas were only 74 % utilised last year, suggesting room for growth if demand spikes.
For mobility teams the status quo offers planning certainty: systems and budget assumptions for 2025 carry over into the new year. Yet competition for permits in high-demand cantons such as Zug and Basel is expected to intensify if the biotech and commodities sectors press ahead with announced expansion projects. Early Q1 filings and precise labour-market-test documentation will remain best practice.
The government also hinted that quotas could be revisited mid-year should Parliament adopt the newly proposed annual-ceiling model (see separate story). Corporate counsel should therefore monitor both legislative and quota-usage developments to avoid mid-season surprises.
