Fewer permits – Baume-Schneider wants to reduce immigration from third countries – News


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Research by Radio SRF shows that the Justice Minister wants to reduce the quota for people from third countries. Criticism comes from the cantons and the economy.

Immigration is an extremely sensitive topic. The elections have shown that. The quotas for people from third countries are also always a political issue. The Federal Council determines the number after consulting the cantons.

The cantons are not happy about the plans of the responsible justice minister, SP Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, to reduce the quotas. The president of the cantonal economics directors, the Uri government councilor Urban Camenzind, told Radio SRF: “From the cantons, from the economics directors, we cannot celebrate and are also a bit surprised.”

Significant reduction possible

The Federal Council has set a total of 12,000 permits for people from third countries and the United Kingdom for the current year 2023. The cantons demanded that these permits be retained. But now research by Radio SRF shows that Baume-Schneider wants to combine the two quotas and reduce them considerably, to a total of 9,600 permits. It has submitted this proposal internally to the other departments for consultation.

The responsible Justice Department does not comment on this, it only writes: “The Federal Council will determine the third country quotas for 2024 in the next few weeks. The approval is in the overall economic interest of Switzerland.”

What about free movement of people?


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Switzerland only has limited options to really regulate immigration. Because with the EU there is free movement of people and most people immigrate from there.

The situation is different with immigration from outside the EU. Every autumn, the Federal Council decides how many permits will be available to people from so-called third countries in the coming year. Here the Federal Council can tighten or loosen the screw if it wants.

Employers’ association worries about specialists

The entire Federal Council has not yet made a final decision, but one can assume that it will follow Baume-Schneider’s suggestion – to the disappointment of the employers’ association, as management member Daniella Lützelschwab emphasizes: “The fact that the Federal Council wants to reduce the quota numbers for third countries disappoints us , because this is a small group of specialized workers who are not found in Switzerland and not in the EU, and are therefore important.”

Lützelschwab thinks primarily economically. If companies cannot hire the employees they want because they are not allowed to, companies could also leave, she argues.

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Immigration from third countries – in contrast to the free movement of people with the EU – is generally regulated with quotas.

Keystone/symbol image/CHRISTIAN BEUTLER

Consideration of well-qualified refugees

The unions have a different view of the problem. One can assume that Baume-Schneider shares this perspective. If companies can recruit fewer employees from third countries, the pressure to better integrate well-qualified refugees who are already here increases.

Daniel Lampart from the trade union federation repeatedly sees that many well-qualified refugees who also come from third countries want to integrate better. He speaks of highly qualified refugees from Iran, for example, who only do unskilled work at the post office and are unable to develop further because they perhaps lack the money and general support.

The Federal Council will decide in the next few weeks whether it wants to tighten the screws on the immigration of people from third countries. This is certainly also a reaction to the generally charged migration debate. To the dismay of the cantons and the economy, but possibly also with a view to better integrating refugees.

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