Swiss employers received welcome certainty on Friday as the Federal Council confirmed that next year’s quotas for non-EU/EFTA workers, cross-border service providers and post-Brexit UK nationals will remain at 2025 levels. For 2026 the ceiling stays at 8,500 permits for third-country specialists—4,500 B residence permits and 4,000 short-stay L permits—alongside 3,500 permits for EU/EFTA service providers and 3,500 for UK employees.
The decision follows consultations showing utilisation rates of only 52 % (third-country) and 38 % (EU/EFTA service providers) by September 2025. By freezing numbers rather than tightening them, Bern hopes to balance its campaign to attract skilled labour with public concerns about immigration volumes. The quotas are embedded in the Ordinance on Admission, Period of Stay and Employment (ASEO) and will take legal effect on 1 January 2026.
![Federal Council keeps 2026 work-permit quotas unchanged for third-country talent]()
For HR and global-mobility teams, the status quo means sponsorship strategies, salary budgeting and project timelines do not need immediate revision. However, competition for permits is likely to intensify in high-tech and healthcare, where Swiss unemployment remains below 2 %. Employers are advised to file applications early in the calendar year and to document exhaustive EU/EFTA recruitment efforts, a prerequisite for third-country hires.
The Federal Council also stressed that separate UK quotas remain “transitional” and will be reassessed amid broader EU-UK mobility talks. Companies with British assignees should therefore track 2026 utilisation data and prepare alternative pathways, such as the short-term service-provider route or local Swiss employment contracts, if demand outstrips supply.
Overall, the unchanged ceilings provide planning security but reinforce Switzerland’s selective approach: only highly qualified specialists in shortage occupations, managers and key intra-group transferees will secure scarce quota slots.
The decision follows consultations showing utilisation rates of only 52 % (third-country) and 38 % (EU/EFTA service providers) by September 2025. By freezing numbers rather than tightening them, Bern hopes to balance its campaign to attract skilled labour with public concerns about immigration volumes. The quotas are embedded in the Ordinance on Admission, Period of Stay and Employment (ASEO) and will take legal effect on 1 January 2026.
For HR and global-mobility teams, the status quo means sponsorship strategies, salary budgeting and project timelines do not need immediate revision. However, competition for permits is likely to intensify in high-tech and healthcare, where Swiss unemployment remains below 2 %. Employers are advised to file applications early in the calendar year and to document exhaustive EU/EFTA recruitment efforts, a prerequisite for third-country hires.
The Federal Council also stressed that separate UK quotas remain “transitional” and will be reassessed amid broader EU-UK mobility talks. Companies with British assignees should therefore track 2026 utilisation data and prepare alternative pathways, such as the short-term service-provider route or local Swiss employment contracts, if demand outstrips supply.
Overall, the unchanged ceilings provide planning security but reinforce Switzerland’s selective approach: only highly qualified specialists in shortage occupations, managers and key intra-group transferees will secure scarce quota slots.
