The Swiss Federal Council announced measures to promote the professional integration of holders of protection status S and to ease labor market access for third-country nationals trained in Switzerland. A consultation was launched on proposed amendments to the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration, the Asylum Act, and two related ordinances.
Protection status S holders who are employed will be allowed to move between cantons to take jobs across Switzerland. Administrative barriers will be reduced by replacing the current work permit requirement with a simple notification procedure. Unemployed S status holders will need to register with public employment services and may be required to participate in integration or professional reintegration measures.
Third-country nationals with a Swiss professional or postdoctoral degree will have easier access to the Swiss labor market if their work serves a significant scientific or economic interest. Graduates from Swiss higher education institutions already benefit from such facilitation.
The amendments also allow for the extension of federal-canton integration program agreements through ordinance.
The consultation period for these proposed changes runs until 2 June 2025.