In Brussels on 29 January 2026 the European Commission signed off on its first-ever EU Visa Strategy, a 40-page roadmap that aims to make Europe ‘the most attractive talent hub on earth’ while hard-wiring new security checks at the bloc’s external borders. Although the press release focused on the big EU member-states, Switzerland – as a Schengen-associated country – is legally obliged to implement almost all of the measures.
At the heart of the strategy are three pillars that will matter to Swiss employers that regularly post staff abroad or bring foreign specialists into the country. First, Brussels promises to fast-track multiple-entry C-visas for “trusted travellers” and to publish a list of pre-cleared companies whose invitations will enjoy priority processing. Swiss multinationals ranging from Roche to ABB could therefore see visa turnaround times for short business trips cut from weeks to days. Second, the EU will plug every border-management database – including the new biometric Entry/Exit System and ETIAS – into a single query interface by 2028, giving frontier guards at Basel and Geneva far wider intelligence than today. Third, visa policy is to become a geopolitical tool: applicant countries that refuse to readmit overstaying nationals may face tougher rules, while partners that cooperate on security could gain easier access. (travelandtourworld.com)
For Switzerland the practical work starts now. Bern must transpose the strategy’s legal acts into domestic ordinances, consult cantons on systems upgrades at airports and land borders, and decide whether to join two voluntary pieces: the “EU Talent Pool” (an online database matching foreign specialists with European employers) and the network of “Legal Gateway Offices” that will be piloted in India this year.
![EU Adopts First-Ever Visa Strategy; Switzerland Must Align Schengen Rules]()
In this context, companies looking for expert guidance can turn to VisaHQ, whose Swiss platform (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) streamlines Schengen visa handling, offers automated status alerts and provides on-call specialists familiar with the forthcoming trusted-traveller programme and Entry/Exit System—helping HR teams stay compliant while cutting administrative overhead.
HR and mobility managers should earmark budget for IT integrations. The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security has already warned that kiosk and database licences linked to the Entry/Exit System will cost tens of millions of francs; the new visa interface will add further expense. At the same time, global-mobility teams can prepare opportunity maps. Sectors facing chronic talent shortages – biotech, fintech, engineering – are likely to benefit most from longer-validity, multi-entry Schengen visas once the trusted-traveller scheme launches in 2027.
Finally, companies should note that the Commission explicitly links compliance with labour-standards and posting-of-worker rules to access to the fast-track list. Swiss employers that have faced wage-dumping allegations in neighbouring EU states will need spotless track records if they want their invitation letters to enjoy green-lane treatment under the new regime.
At the heart of the strategy are three pillars that will matter to Swiss employers that regularly post staff abroad or bring foreign specialists into the country. First, Brussels promises to fast-track multiple-entry C-visas for “trusted travellers” and to publish a list of pre-cleared companies whose invitations will enjoy priority processing. Swiss multinationals ranging from Roche to ABB could therefore see visa turnaround times for short business trips cut from weeks to days. Second, the EU will plug every border-management database – including the new biometric Entry/Exit System and ETIAS – into a single query interface by 2028, giving frontier guards at Basel and Geneva far wider intelligence than today. Third, visa policy is to become a geopolitical tool: applicant countries that refuse to readmit overstaying nationals may face tougher rules, while partners that cooperate on security could gain easier access. (travelandtourworld.com)
For Switzerland the practical work starts now. Bern must transpose the strategy’s legal acts into domestic ordinances, consult cantons on systems upgrades at airports and land borders, and decide whether to join two voluntary pieces: the “EU Talent Pool” (an online database matching foreign specialists with European employers) and the network of “Legal Gateway Offices” that will be piloted in India this year.
In this context, companies looking for expert guidance can turn to VisaHQ, whose Swiss platform (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) streamlines Schengen visa handling, offers automated status alerts and provides on-call specialists familiar with the forthcoming trusted-traveller programme and Entry/Exit System—helping HR teams stay compliant while cutting administrative overhead.
HR and mobility managers should earmark budget for IT integrations. The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security has already warned that kiosk and database licences linked to the Entry/Exit System will cost tens of millions of francs; the new visa interface will add further expense. At the same time, global-mobility teams can prepare opportunity maps. Sectors facing chronic talent shortages – biotech, fintech, engineering – are likely to benefit most from longer-validity, multi-entry Schengen visas once the trusted-traveller scheme launches in 2027.
Finally, companies should note that the Commission explicitly links compliance with labour-standards and posting-of-worker rules to access to the fast-track list. Swiss employers that have faced wage-dumping allegations in neighbouring EU states will need spotless track records if they want their invitation letters to enjoy green-lane treatment under the new regime.
