Switzerland welcomed 181,553 foreign nationals in 2023

Highlights: 181,553 foreign nationals held in Switzerland in 2023

• Switzerland's foreign resident population rose in 2023, recording around 181,553 foreign nationals.
• State Secretariat of Migration reveals the increase of around 19,118 permanent international students in Switzerland.
• Most of the 2.3 million foreigners living in Switzerland were EU/EFTA nationals.
• The surge in foreign workers in 2023 has relaxed labour shortages in Switzerland.

 

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Switzerland Net immigration 2023

The recent reports by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) revealed a surge of around 181,553 permanent foreign residents in Switzerland. The number of permanent foreign residents in Switzerland increased by 19,118 in 2023.

 

Almost 80% (130,483) of foreign residents are reported to be EU or EFTA nationals, and around 51,070 are third-country nationals. Statistics show that the net immigration difference in the permanent foreign resident population increased to 98,851 people, recording a hike of 17,506 people compared to 2022.

 

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Foreign immigration eased the labour shortage.

Around 70% of EU/EFTA immigrants came to Switzerland for permanent employment, whereas 75,346 immigrated for seasonal jobs. Both categories had a hike of 16.3% and 13.7%, respectively, compared to 2022.

 

The table below shows the number of permanent foreign nationals and their country of origin who are currently residing in Switzerland:

Countries	Total no. of permanent foreign residents in Switzerland
EU/EFTA	1,540,798
Third-countries	772,419
Italy	342,454
Germany	326,033
Portugal	260,462
France	165,684

 

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Swiss residence permits issued in 2023

Reports by SEM reveal that 15% of immigrants were admitted between 2009 and 2023, and 33% of applicants received residence permits in Switzerland. Swiss residence permits are granted if the integration criteria are fulfilled after five to ten years of residence in Switzerland.

 

Family reunification cases increased by 7.6% as about 26.5% of long-term immigrants migrated through the family reunification program. As many as 46,281 people migrated through family reunification programs, as 15% of them were family members of Swiss citizens.

 

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