The Swiss Federal Council has ended weeks of speculation by confirming that national work-permit ceilings for 2026 will remain exactly as they are this year. At a late-evening meeting on 28 November the cabinet approved an amending order to the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Activity (OASA) that keeps the envelope for third-country nationals at 8 500 permits—4 500 B-residence permits for assignments longer than twelve months and 4 000 L-permits for stays of up to a year. Quotas for EU/EFTA service providers posted to Switzerland for more than 120 days (3 000 L and 500 B) as well as the post-Brexit carve-out for UK citizens (1 400 L and 2 100 B) are likewise rolled over.
The decision comes against the backdrop of net immigration running at its highest level in 17 years and growing political pressure to curb inflows. Cantonal migration offices, however, warned that a cut in numbers would leave them unable to issue permits that have already been promised to multinationals in life-sciences, engineering and fintech. Business federations argued that Switzerland’s record-low unemployment rate of 1.9 % means talent shortages can only be bridged by continued targeted immigration.
![Swiss Government Freezes 2026 Work-Permit Quotas for Non-EU Talent]()
For global-mobility teams the announcement removes a major planning risk. Companies can continue to file applications under the same numerical ceilings and documentary standards that applied in 2025, sparing them mid-project restructurings or last-minute head-count swaps. Because quotas are released to the cantons every quarter, HR managers should still front-load filings in January to secure places before the Q1 allocation is exhausted—history shows that IT and pharma clusters in Zurich, Basel and Zug burn through their shares fastest.
The freeze also preserves the special envelope for UK nationals, which many firms use to staff regional leadership roles from London. Without it, British assignees would have to compete with other third-country nationals for a much smaller pool of permits, creating additional compliance hurdles just as Swiss-UK bilateral trade surpasses CHF 50 billion.
Looking ahead, Bern will review quota levels again in autumn 2026. If demographic pressure continues to build, the political calculus could change, so employers are advised to monitor parliamentary debates—especially the SVP’s “No 10-Million Switzerland” initiative, which seeks to cap the population and would almost certainly trigger tougher immigration limits if it gains traction.
The decision comes against the backdrop of net immigration running at its highest level in 17 years and growing political pressure to curb inflows. Cantonal migration offices, however, warned that a cut in numbers would leave them unable to issue permits that have already been promised to multinationals in life-sciences, engineering and fintech. Business federations argued that Switzerland’s record-low unemployment rate of 1.9 % means talent shortages can only be bridged by continued targeted immigration.
For global-mobility teams the announcement removes a major planning risk. Companies can continue to file applications under the same numerical ceilings and documentary standards that applied in 2025, sparing them mid-project restructurings or last-minute head-count swaps. Because quotas are released to the cantons every quarter, HR managers should still front-load filings in January to secure places before the Q1 allocation is exhausted—history shows that IT and pharma clusters in Zurich, Basel and Zug burn through their shares fastest.
The freeze also preserves the special envelope for UK nationals, which many firms use to staff regional leadership roles from London. Without it, British assignees would have to compete with other third-country nationals for a much smaller pool of permits, creating additional compliance hurdles just as Swiss-UK bilateral trade surpasses CHF 50 billion.
Looking ahead, Bern will review quota levels again in autumn 2026. If demographic pressure continues to build, the political calculus could change, so employers are advised to monitor parliamentary debates—especially the SVP’s “No 10-Million Switzerland” initiative, which seeks to cap the population and would almost certainly trigger tougher immigration limits if it gains traction.
