Switzerland to continue to curb immigration from Croatia
Since January 2022, Croatians have the same rights to live and work in Switzerland as all other EU citizens but the government can temporarily limit their numbers.
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The Swiss government will continue to limit the number of Croatian nationals wanting to work in Switzerland in 2024, it said on Wednesday.
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Access to the Swiss labour market will again be restricted for Croatian nationals in 2024. On Wednesday, the Federal Council extended the safeguard clause provided for in the European Union’s Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons. Switzerland is not a member of the EU but signed the agreement in 1999.
Croatians have enjoyed complete freedom of movement for persons since January 1, 2022. But the safeguard clause in the EU agreement allows Switzerland to unilaterally reintroduce permit quotas for a limited period when immigration from Croatia exceeds a certain threshold.
This threshold is reached when the number of permits issued in 2022 is more than 10% higher than the average for the previous three years (2019 to 2021).
At the end of October 2023, the entire quota of B permits (valid for five years), i.e., 1,204 permits, had been used up and 76% of the 1,053 L permits (short-term permits, renewable for more than one year) had already been issued.
In view of the big demand, the Swiss government has decided to extend the safeguard clause for another year. In 2024, the number of permits issued to workers from Croatia will be capped.
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