Why do foreigners move to Switzerland and how many want to stay?
An increased number of immigrants have settled in the country in the past years, fuelling forecasts of population growth exceeding the 10-million mark in the near future. A new study sheds light on why foreign nationals come to Switzerland and how long they want to remain here.
In 2022, over 40,000 international residents arrived in Switzerland — 20,000 more than in the previous year, official data indicates.
According to many experts, this influx means that Switzerland’s population, which now stands at 8.9 million people, will reach the 10-million mark in a few years — if immigration doesn’t slow down in the meantime.
But why exactly do foreigners continue to come to Switzerland?
This question was addressed by a new study released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Monday.
The two main reasons cited by the FSO are family (more than 40 percent) and employment (nearly 37 percent).
The study doesn’t provide details on what family reasons prompt foreigners to move to Switzerland, but they could include reuniting with relatives already in the country or marrying a Swiss national.
The reasons are much clearer in the second — professional — category: Swiss wages are higher (and sometimes by a lot) than nearly everywhere else in Europe, and in many non-EU countries as well.
This is why so many foreigners flock to Switzerland — even despite the country’s notoriously high cost of living — especially to areas where best-paying jobs are, like Zurich.
READ ALSO: Why does Zurich have the highest wages in Switzerland?
How long do immigrants intend to say in Switzerland?
A curious paradox emerges here.
While some data indicates that the majority of foreigners choose to return to their home countries once they retire, the FSO study reports different results.
It found that almost two-thirds of immigrants — more than 60 percent — want to stay in Switzerland permanently.
This is particularly the case among people from European countries that are not part of the EU.
What are some of the other findings of the FSO study?
While over 60 percent of respondents said they want to obtain Swiss citizenship, only about 10 percent had applied for naturalisation so far.
No reason is given as to why so few foreigners have sought citizenship, but the most common reasons are generally related to very strict naturalisation rules, such as the length of residency, language proficiency, and integration.
READ ALSO: Why your Swiss citizenship application might be rejected - and how to avoid it
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In 2022, over 40,000 international residents arrived in Switzerland — 20,000 more than in the previous year, official data indicates.
According to many experts, this influx means that Switzerland’s population, which now stands at 8.9 million people, will reach the 10-million mark in a few years — if immigration doesn’t slow down in the meantime.
But why exactly do foreigners continue to come to Switzerland?
This question was addressed by a new study released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Monday.
The two main reasons cited by the FSO are family (more than 40 percent) and employment (nearly 37 percent).
The study doesn’t provide details on what family reasons prompt foreigners to move to Switzerland, but they could include reuniting with relatives already in the country or marrying a Swiss national.
The reasons are much clearer in the second — professional — category: Swiss wages are higher (and sometimes by a lot) than nearly everywhere else in Europe, and in many non-EU countries as well.
This is why so many foreigners flock to Switzerland — even despite the country’s notoriously high cost of living — especially to areas where best-paying jobs are, like Zurich.
READ ALSO: Why does Zurich have the highest wages in Switzerland?
How long do immigrants intend to say in Switzerland?
A curious paradox emerges here.
While some data indicates that the majority of foreigners choose to return to their home countries once they retire, the FSO study reports different results.
It found that almost two-thirds of immigrants — more than 60 percent — want to stay in Switzerland permanently.
This is particularly the case among people from European countries that are not part of the EU.
What are some of the other findings of the FSO study?
While over 60 percent of respondents said they want to obtain Swiss citizenship, only about 10 percent had applied for naturalisation so far.
No reason is given as to why so few foreigners have sought citizenship, but the most common reasons are generally related to very strict naturalisation rules, such as the length of residency, language proficiency, and integration.
READ ALSO: Why your Swiss citizenship application might be rejected - and how to avoid it
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