Switzerland Sets Brits’ Quota at 3,500 in Case of No-Deal Brexit
The quota stems from misgivings over potential “undesirable” competition for jobs between Brits and other third-country nationals in Switzerland.
The Swiss government will set up a quota of just 3,500 for Brits who would be permitted to work in Switzerland in the event of Brexit without a deal between the UK and the EU.
No more than 3,500 British citizens would be granted permission to work in Switzerland in case of no deal Brexit, Switzerland’s executive body, the Federal Council, said on Wednesday in a release, as cited by Swiss Info.
The quota is set for the period of March 30 until December 31, 2019, and consists of 2,100 residence permit, and 1,400 short-stay permits.
The Swiss government noted that a no-deal Brexit would mean that the Brits would be treated in Switzerland like the citizens of other non-EU nations.
With Brexit slated for March 29, 2019, it also said the Agreement on Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) between Switzerland and Britain would no longer apply from March 30.
Thus, British citizens entering Switzerland for the first time will have the same rights as other non-EU citizens who face similar quotas by nationality.
The new Swiss no-deal Brexit quotas would not apply to some 42,000 Brits already living in Switzerland, according to the Swiss News Agency.
The Swiss government said the decision for a Brits’ was based on potential “undesirable” competition for jobs between British citizens and other third-country nationals.
The quota is introduced as part of Switzerland’s “Mind the Gape” strategy stipulating measures to adapt to a no-deal Brexit.
The announcement about the Swiss quota for British citizens in case of a hard Brexit comes after earlier this week Switzerland and the UK signed a post-Brexit trade deal.
The Swiss – UK deal in question covers most of the existing agreements that government Switzerland’s relations with the European Union. An additional agreement has also made it applicable to Liechtenstein.
The new Swiss – UK trade deal will come into effect after the end of the Brexit transition period if a Brexit deal between the EU and the UK is in place by the respective date.
However, if Brexit happens without a deal on March 29, 2019, the UK – Swiss agreement will be effective as of March 30, 2019.
In 2017, the UK was the sixth largest export market for Switzerland, and the eighth largest importer in the country, with a bilateral trade nearing CHF 17.5 billion.
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