The UK Home Office has quietly kicked off 2026 by publishing the year’s first Immigration Rules amendments on 2 January. Buried in the technical update—but highlighted on 3 January by specialist outlet VisaHQ—is the abolition of the little-used ‘Service Providers from Switzerland’ (SPS) route, a Brexit transition measure that had allowed Swiss companies to send staff into the UK for short on-site contracts without the need for mainstream work visas.
Effective immediately once the order is laid, Swiss suppliers must pivot to the Global Business Mobility (GBM) framework—typically the Secondment Worker or Contractual Service Supplier sub-routes—or fall back on the limited business-visitor provisions if the activity is truly non-productive. Both alternatives carry higher salary thresholds, the Immigration Skills Charge (now £1,320 per employee per year for large sponsors after December’s 32 percent increase) and, in most cases, a longer lead-time for certificate of sponsorship issuance.
Companies that need to move Swiss talent quickly can lean on VisaHQ’s dedicated UK team for on-demand guidance and document processing; the platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers instant GBM route comparisons, fee calculators, and submission tracking, taking much of the administrative load off in-house mobility managers.
![Home Office withdraws ‘Service Providers from Switzerland’ route in first Immigration Rules update of 2026]()
For multinationals, the change removes a cost-efficient mechanism that had survived Brexit negotiations specifically to protect Switzerland’s bilateral services trade with the UK. Mobility managers with engineering, pharmaceutical or financial-services projects originating in Zurich, Basel or Geneva will now need to re-budget for sponsorship fees and ensure that posted workers meet English-language and maintenance requirements—an administrative burden that could delay project kick-off.
The SPS withdrawal is also a broader signal that 2026 will be a busy year for rule-making. The same Statement of Changes HC 1491 adjusts multiple Family and Private Life appendices and retires Switzerland-specific references from the main Rules index. More statements are expected ahead of February’s mandatory Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) enforcement for 85 countries and before January 2027’s planned shortening of the Graduate Route.
Practical next steps: (1) audit any Swiss-origin contracts scheduled for Q1 and Q2, (2) brief procurement and legal teams that the SPS route no longer exists, (3) refresh visitor-versus-work guidance, and (4) sign up to the Home Office’s email alert service to track further updates.
Effective immediately once the order is laid, Swiss suppliers must pivot to the Global Business Mobility (GBM) framework—typically the Secondment Worker or Contractual Service Supplier sub-routes—or fall back on the limited business-visitor provisions if the activity is truly non-productive. Both alternatives carry higher salary thresholds, the Immigration Skills Charge (now £1,320 per employee per year for large sponsors after December’s 32 percent increase) and, in most cases, a longer lead-time for certificate of sponsorship issuance.
Companies that need to move Swiss talent quickly can lean on VisaHQ’s dedicated UK team for on-demand guidance and document processing; the platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers instant GBM route comparisons, fee calculators, and submission tracking, taking much of the administrative load off in-house mobility managers.
For multinationals, the change removes a cost-efficient mechanism that had survived Brexit negotiations specifically to protect Switzerland’s bilateral services trade with the UK. Mobility managers with engineering, pharmaceutical or financial-services projects originating in Zurich, Basel or Geneva will now need to re-budget for sponsorship fees and ensure that posted workers meet English-language and maintenance requirements—an administrative burden that could delay project kick-off.
The SPS withdrawal is also a broader signal that 2026 will be a busy year for rule-making. The same Statement of Changes HC 1491 adjusts multiple Family and Private Life appendices and retires Switzerland-specific references from the main Rules index. More statements are expected ahead of February’s mandatory Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) enforcement for 85 countries and before January 2027’s planned shortening of the Graduate Route.
Practical next steps: (1) audit any Swiss-origin contracts scheduled for Q1 and Q2, (2) brief procurement and legal teams that the SPS route no longer exists, (3) refresh visitor-versus-work guidance, and (4) sign up to the Home Office’s email alert service to track further updates.
