Switzerland

Austria: EU employers must appoint document agent by January 1

Employers based in the European Union/European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland sending employees on assignment to Austria must appoint a document maintenance and information agent by January 1, 2017, according to a new law. For staffing assignments, appointing an agent is optional.

Employers can appoint an assigned employee who is in Austria during the entire project or a lawyer, notary or tax consultant based in Austria as the agent.

Employers must disclose the appointed agent and the document storage location at the beginning of every project, or at the latest with the first KIAB/ZKO filing that has a validity period on or after January 1, 2017.

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Switzerland: Third quarter quotas exhausted

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The third-quarter quotas for L- and B-Permits for European Union nationals on assignment lasting more than four months have been exhausted. Employers who wish to send EU nationals on assignment to Switzerland will need to wait until October 1, 2016, when fourth-quarter quotas become available.

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Switzerland: Bulgarian and Romanian nationals to be exempt from labour market rules

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On or after June 1, 2016, nationals of Bulgaria and Romania under a local Swiss employment contract will no longer be subject to Swiss labor market rules such as a labor market test, salary and working condition checks and the foreign national quota system.  Instead, they will be subject to the same registration formalities that apply to EU nationals.

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Turkey: Proposal would exempt Turkish nationals from Schengen visa requirement

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The European Commission has proposed to the EU Parliament and Council to remove the tourist and business visa requirement for Turkish nationals travelling to EU member states and associated Schengen states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) except for Ireland and the United Kingdom.  Until the proposal is approved (which is expected to happen June 2016), Turkish nationals will require Schengen visas.

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Switzerland: First quarter L-permit quota exhausted

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Following the Swiss Federal Council’s release of 500 L-Permits for the first quarter of 2016, the quota for L-permits for EU nationals on assignments lasting more than four months has been exhausted. Employers who wish to send EU nationals on assignment to Switzerland will need to wait until April 1, 2016, when second-quarter quotas become available.

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Geneva English School announces expansion to secondary

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The Geneva English School, located on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, has announced its plans to develop a secondary school. A Year 7 intake will begin from September 2016 on the current primary campus, with a new secondary campus for September 2017.

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Switzerland: Fourth quarter quota exhausted

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Following the Swiss Federal Council’s release of 500 L-Permits for the fourth quarter of 2015, the quota for L-Permits for EU nationals on assignments lasting more than four months has been exhausted. Employers must wait until January 1, 2016 to send EU nationals on assignment to Switzerland.

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Switzerland: Work permit quotas remain unchanged for 2016

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The Swiss Federal Council has announced that quotas for B- and L-Permit for foreign nationals from non-EU/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries or Croatia and EU/EFTA nationals on assignment will remain unchanged from 2015.