Swiss immigration glossary

14 terms of Swiss immigration law in Geneva, explained simply, with official sources.

AFMP (free movement of persons): The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) between Switzerland and the EU gives EU/EFTA nationals the right to live and work in Switzerland: a five-year B permit with a contract of at least one year, an L permit for shorter contracts, a G permit for cross-border commuters, with no quotas and no domestic-worker priority.
Arrival registration: Arrival registration is the declaration of a new residence to the local authority.
Border zone: Border zones are the areas defined in the border agreements with neighbouring countries.
Domestic-worker priority: Before hiring a third-country national, the employer has to show it could not find the staff it needs in the Swiss labour market or in the EU/EFTA.
Early C permit: The early C permit is the settlement permit granted after five years of uninterrupted residence on a B permit (instead of ten) when integration is successful, with at least B1 spoken and A1 written in the local language.
FDFA legitimation card: The legitimation card is issued by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) to staff of international organisations and foreign representations, and to their families.
Integration criteria: The Foreign Nationals and Integration Act sets four integration criteria: respect for public safety and order, respect for the values of the Constitution, language skills, and taking part in working life or education.
OCPM: The Cantonal Office for Population and Migration (OCPM) is the Geneva authority that keeps the residents' register and the register of foreign nationals working in the canton without living there (cross-border commuters).
Online notification procedure: EU/EFTA nationals working in Switzerland for less than three months per calendar year need no permit: the work is notified online to the SEM, normally by the employer, before it starts.
Quotas: Quotas are the maximum numbers of work permits (B and L permits) the Federal Council sets each year for third-country nationals.
Residence certificate: The residence certificate confirms that a person lives in the canton.
Residents' registry: The residents' registry (or foreigners' office) is the municipal service that records arrivals, departures and changes of address.
SEM: The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is the federal migration authority.
SPOP: The Population Service (SPOP) is the Vaud authority in charge of foreign nationals: residence, settlement and cross-border permits, naturalisation and asylum.