The situation for third-country nationals

Scientific interest concerns the universities, EPF, etc that wish to recruit highly qualified people from outside Europe.

Economic interest concerns the canton where the activity will be carried out. Data concerning your future employer will be analysed, in particular: the field of activity, size of the company, turnover, etc.

The criterion of a proven labour shortage will also be taken into account. In other words: are you a specialist with such specific skills that your employer has been unable to find any other applicants?

The condition of priority means that your admission can only be considered if no workers are available on the local labour market or on the EU/EFTA* labour markets.

If you are a graduate of a Swiss university, you may have easier access to the labour market

The competent cantonal authority may decide to grant easier access ot the labour market to foreign nationals who have graduated from a Swiss university.

The key steps:

• Your future employer must provide proof that, despite their best efforts, they have been unable to find the required personnel on the local labour market or on the EU/EFTA* labour markets.
• Your future employer must demonstrate the existence of an over-riding scientific or economic interest.
• The post will still have to be advertised with the regional employment office (Office régional de placement - ORP).
• A pre-screening will be made of the match between the position offered and your profile as an applicant (and not just your Swiss university degree).

The principle of priority will apply if it cannot be demonstrated that:

• There is an over-riding scientific or economic interest; 
• There is a severe shortage of skilled labour in your field.

If there is a severe shortage of skilled workers in your field, you may have easier access to the job market.

• This rule is designed for certain fields of activity, in particular for postdoctoral researchers.

• The Directorate-General for Employment and the Labour Market (DGEM) may waive the above requirements if the professional field concerned is affected by a severe shortage of skilled labour.

• This is a possibility. Each canton is free to decide whether or not to decide this rule.
• Note! There is no automatic application. You are strongly advised to contact the cantonal authority in the place where you will be working. You will still need to demonstrate a perfect match between the position offered and your profile.

* Priority is given to Swiss citizens, established foreign nationals (C permit), foreign nationals holding a residence permit for the purpose of gainful employment (B permit, including recognised refugees), foreign nationals holding a provisional admission permit (F permit), persons who have been granted protection on a provisional basis and who are in possession of a work permit (S permit), as well as nationals of countries (currently EU and EFTA states) with which an agreement on the free movement of persons has been concluded (L or B permit).

The aim is to protect foreign workers from abusive employment conditions, but also to prevent local workers from having to compete with cheaper labour.

Your working conditions and salary will therefore be analysed, in particular using a salary calculator.

It is important to demonstrate that there is a perfect match between the position offered (job description) and the profile of the future employee.

The following will be taken into account:

• University degrees;
• Previous professional experience; 
• Language skills; 
• Any research work related to the proposed position (articles, thesis, internship reports).

Work permits granted to highly qualified nationals from outside Europe are subject to quotas. In other words, there is a limited number of L and B permits.

The number of work permits is granted by the Confederation to each canton.

In 2024, the Confederation granted the canton of Vaud 181 short-term permits (L permits) and 112 residence permits (B permits).

Recommendation

Given the limited number of permits available, it is very important that applications for work permits are duly substantiated and demonstrate that each condition has been met.

No more quotas for work permits for graduates of Swiss universities?

An amendment to the law was tabled in 2021. Its goal was to abolish quotas if the activity was of over-riding scientific or economic interest. However, the Parliament decided to refer the bill back to the Federal Council on 19 December 2023. As a result, the quotas will continue to apply until the Federal Council responds with a new amendment.

NB: applications will still be subject to compliance with other questions, even if the law is amended. To learn more about the abolition of quotas.

• This permit is issued for a fixed-term contract of more than four months and up to one year.
• Its validity may be extended for up to a total of two years.
• Work permits are subject to annual quotas.
  • For the canton of Vaud, around 200 permits are available each year. 
• A change of employment is only accepted for major reasons.
• It is possible to change jobs within the same sector and profession in specific cases (for example, if the employer has financial difficulties).

Note! This is not the same permit as the L permit issued to seek employment after successful completion of studies.

• This permit is issued for an employment contract of more than two years. In the case of an employment contract of 25 to 30 months, the competent cantonal authority may decide to issue an L permit.
• B work permits are subject to annual quotas.
  • For the Canton of Vaud, about one hundred permits are available each year. 
• In certain cases, the B work permit may be limited to the occupation, the duration of the employment contract, and the employer.
• In the case of unemployment: the "unlimited" B work permit may be extended for as long as the person is entitled to unemployment benefit or is participating in a temporary employment programme (programme d'emploi temporaire, PET), unless they are dependent on social assistance.