Federal Council takes a stand on residence permits
Basel National Councillor Daniel Stolz wanted to know from the Federal Council how many artists from third countries have received a residence permit in Switzerland in recent years, what impact quota reductions have had on this and whether there are any regulatory gaps in this area. The answer is now available.
According to the Federal Council, over 2000 cultural workers have received an eight-month permit in each of the last three years. In addition, around 130 work permits for skilled workers in the cultural sector have been issued each year at the expense of the third-country quota, including for actors, musicians in symphony orchestras and teaching staff at conservatories.
According to the Federal Council, it is not yet possible to assess the consequences of reducing the quota-based permits. The allocation of quotas is primarily the responsibility of the cantons. The Federal Council intends to compensate for the reduction by making better use of domestic potential. There would still be opportunities for the admission of highly qualified specialists who are urgently needed in Switzerland and cannot be found either here or in the EU.
In the view of the Federal Council, there is currently no fundamental regulatory gap. Musicians can be assumed to have a high academic interest if they are employed at a university with a sufficiently large workload. However, this is not usually the case if a musician wishes to become self-employed in Switzerland after graduating from university.
