Immigration law is federal, but each of the 26 cantons applies it through its own migration office and its own implementing act. This index lists, for every canton, the name of that act, the office that handles your permits and any practical point worth knowing, such as the language you must use. For current addresses and phone numbers, always use the official cantonal website or the directory at ch.ch/migrationsamt.

In short

  • Federal law, cantonal offices: the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA) applies everywhere, but your canton's migration office decides on your permit.
  • What the office does: grants, renews and revokes permits, applies the integration and language rules, enforces removals and sends hardship cases to the SEM.
  • Language: you must deal with the office in its official language. 17 cantons use German, 4 French, 1 Italian, 3 are bilingual and Graubünden is trilingual.
  • Contact details change: this page gives office names only. Check addresses on the cantonal website or ch.ch.
  • No ranking: this page does not say which canton is stricter or more lenient. For advice on your case, see a lawyer in your canton.

How the system works

The Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20) is federal law, but the 26 cantons implement it. These include the six former half-cantons (AI, AR, NW, OW, BL and BS), which are treated as full cantons for immigration purposes. Each canton has its own migration office. In French-speaking cantons it is usually called the Service de la population or Service des migrations; in Ticino, the Sezione della popolazione.

Cantonal migration offices have wide powers:

  • Granting and renewing all permits (B, C, L, G, Ci, F, N, S), with approval from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) in some cases (Art. 99 FNIA).
  • Revoking permits (Art. 62 to 67 FNIA).
  • Applying the federal integration and language standards (Art. 58a FNIA; Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment, OASA, SR 142.201, in particular Art. 77d OASA).
  • Enforcing removal and expulsion decisions (Art. 64 FNIA ff.).
  • Sending hardship applications to the SEM (Art. 30 para. 1 let. b FNIA).

So the same federal rule is applied in 26 places, and practice differs somewhat. Researchers document this, for example at the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies (SFM) at the University of Neuchâtel. This page does not judge which practice is better or stricter.

What a cantonal implementing act contains

Most cantons have their own act implementing the FNIA (in French-speaking cantons often called the Loi d'application de la loi fédérale sur les étrangers et l'intégration, LaLEtrI). It usually:

  • names the competent authority, usually the migration office, and divides tasks with municipal residents' offices and the cantonal employment, social welfare and tax offices;
  • sets fees for permits and certificates, within federal limits;
  • regulates appeals under cantonal administrative procedure law, with the Federal Act on Administrative Procedure (APA, SR 172.021) for steps set by federal law;
  • names the cantonal hardship commission or a similar advisory body (Art. 30 FNIA);
  • may cover cantonal integration support (Art. 53 FNIA ff. and Art. 57 OASA).

Each canton also has implementing ordinances and internal directives.

Canton by canton

For each canton, check the exact number of the act in its legislative collection, reachable via fedlex.admin.ch or the cantonal portal.

AG: Aargau

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Asylum (Aargau collection, SAR).
  • Office: Amt für Migration und Integration Kanton Aargau (MIKA), Aarau.
  • Practice: legal literature from 2023 to 2024 discusses how Aargau treats reliance on social assistance as a ground for revocation (Art. 62 para. 1 let. e and Art. 63 para. 1 let. c FNIA).

AI: Appenzell Innerrhoden

  • Act: cantonal implementing rules for the FNIA.
  • Office: Amt für Migration Appenzell Innerrhoden, which is also the residents' office, Appenzell.
  • Practice: the smallest canton by population. A very small team handles files and knows them personally. No particular practice is documented.

AR: Appenzell Ausserrhoden

  • Act: Introductory Enactment to the FNIA.
  • Office: Migrationsamt Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Departement Inneres und Sicherheit, Herisau.
  • Practice: no particular practice documented.

BE: Bern

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Asylum (Bern collection, BSG).
  • Office: Migration Service of the Canton of Bern (MIDI), Security Directorate, Bern.
  • Practice: bilingual, German and French (French especially in the Bernese Jura); procedures can run in either language. Permit applications go to the MIDI; you register your arrival with your municipality (in the city of Bern, the Einwohnerdienste, Migration und Fremdenpolizei, EMF). See the Canton of Bern.

BL: Basel-Landschaft

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals (Basel-Landschaft collection, SGS).
  • Office: Amt für Migration Basel-Landschaft.
  • Practice: part of the three-country Basel region; works with Basel-Stadt and with the German and French border authorities around Lörrach and Saint-Louis on cross-border matters and G permits.

BS: Basel-Stadt

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals.
  • Office: Migrationsamt Basel-Stadt.
  • Practice: has a cantonal return counselling service for voluntary return. Check the official cantonal page for who runs it and what it covers.

FR: Fribourg

  • Act: Loi d'application de la loi fédérale sur les étrangers et l'intégration / Einführungsgesetz zum Bundesgesetz über die Ausländerinnen und Ausländer und über die Integration (Fribourg collection, RSF).
  • Office: Service de la population et des migrants (SPoMi) / Amt für Bevölkerung und Migranten, Granges-Paccot.
  • Practice: bilingual, French and German. You can apply in either language; the office usually replies in yours.

GE: Geneva

  • Act: Loi d'application de la loi fédérale sur les étrangers et l'intégration (LaLEtrI; Geneva collection, RS-GE F 2 10).
  • Office: Office cantonal de la population et des migrations (OCPM), Geneva.
  • Practice: the main seat of international organisations (UN Office, WTO, ICRC and others), with a very high number of FDFA legitimation-card holders and Ci permits for their families. The OCPM's international organisations section has no equivalent elsewhere. See the Canton of Geneva.

GL: Glarus

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Glarus collection, GS).
  • Office: Hauptabteilung Migration Glarus, Departement Sicherheit und Justiz.
  • Practice: one of the least populous cantons, with a small team. No particular practice documented.

GR: Graubünden

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Graubünden statute book, BR).
  • Office: Amt für Migration und Zivilrecht Graubünden, Departement für Justiz, Sicherheit und Gesundheit, Chur.
  • Practice: the only trilingual canton: German, Italian and Romansh are official under the cantonal constitution. Procedures can in principle run in all three, but German dominates in practice. If you live in the Italian-speaking valleys (Misox, Calanca, Bregaglia) or in the Romansh-speaking Surselva, clarify the language of your procedure at the start.

JU: Jura

  • Act: Loi d'application de la loi fédérale sur les étrangers et l'intégration (Jura collection, RSJU).
  • Office: Service de la population du Canton du Jura, Delémont.
  • Practice: French-speaking; procedures are in French. No particular practice documented.

LU: Lucerne

  • Act: Act on the Application of Federal Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Lucerne collection, SRL).
  • Office: Amt für Migration Kanton Luzern.
  • Practice: the most populous canton in Central Switzerland; coordinates with the offices of OW, NW, SZ, UR and ZG.

NE: Neuchâtel

  • Act: Loi cantonale neuchâteloise d'application de la loi fédérale sur les étrangers et l'intégration (Neuchâtel collection, RSN).
  • Office: Service des migrations du Canton de Neuchâtel.
  • Practice: home of the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies (SFM) at the University of Neuchâtel.

NW: Nidwalden

  • Act: Introductory Enactment to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration.
  • Office: Amt für Justiz Nidwalden, Abteilung Migration, Stans.
  • Practice: small canton; migration is part of the justice office. No particular practice documented.

OW: Obwalden

  • Act: Introductory Enactment to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Obwalden collection, GDB).
  • Office: Sicherheitsdepartement Obwalden, Amt für Migration, Sarnen.
  • Practice: small canton with a small team. No particular practice documented.

SG: St. Gallen

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals (St. Gallen collection, sGS).
  • Office: Migrationsamt Kanton St. Gallen.
  • Practice: the most populous canton in Eastern Switzerland; coordinates with AR, AI, TG and SH and with neighbouring Vorarlberg in Austria.

SH: Schaffhausen

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Schaffhausen statute book, SHR).
  • Office: Migrationsamt Kanton Schaffhausen, Departement des Innern.
  • Practice: lies mostly north of the Rhine and is largely surrounded by Germany; works closely with German border authorities around Singen and Constance on cross-border matters and G permits.

SO: Solothurn

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Solothurn collection, BGS).
  • Office: Migrationsamt Kanton Solothurn, Departement des Innern.
  • Practice: no particular practice documented.

SZ: Schwyz

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Schwyz collection, SRSZ).
  • Office: Amt für Migration Kanton Schwyz, Sicherheitsdepartement.
  • Practice: for an early C permit, Art. 34 para. 4 FNIA with Art. 62 OASA (language and integration requirements) applies.

TG: Thurgau

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Thurgau statute book, RB).
  • Office: Migrationsamt Kanton Thurgau, Departement für Justiz und Sicherheit, Frauenfeld.
  • Practice: no particular practice documented.

TI: Ticino

  • Act: Legge cantonale di applicazione della legge federale sugli stranieri e la loro integrazione (Ticino collection, RL).
  • Office: Sezione della popolazione del Cantone Ticino, Dipartimento delle istituzioni, Bellinzona.
  • Practice: the only exclusively Italian-speaking canton. All procedures, applications, attachments and letters are in Italian; documents in other languages usually need a translation. Many cross-border workers from northern Italy hold G permits. See the Ticino cluster.

UR: Uri

  • Act: Introductory Enactment to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Uri statute book, RB).
  • Office: Amt für Migration Uri, Sicherheitsdirektion, Altdorf.
  • Practice: small canton with a small team. No particular practice documented.

VD: Vaud

  • Act: Loi vaudoise d'application de la loi fédérale sur les étrangers et l'intégration (Vaud collection, RSV).
  • Office: Service de la population (SPoP), Lausanne.
  • Practice: the literature discusses Vaud's use of integration agreements (convention d'intégration, Art. 58b FNIA) at renewal when there are gaps in French, work or respect for public order. See the Canton of Vaud.

VS: Valais

  • Act: Loi cantonale valaisanne d'application de la loi fédérale sur les étrangers et l'intégration / Einführungsgesetz Wallis (Valais collection, SGS).
  • Office: Service de la population et des migrations (SPM) / Dienststelle für Bevölkerung und Migration, Sion.
  • Practice: bilingual, French in Lower Valais and German in Upper Valais. Procedures can run in either; the office usually writes in the main language of your region.

ZG: Zug

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Zug collection, BGS).
  • Office: Amt für Migration Kanton Zug, Sicherheitsdirektion.
  • Practice: many international company headquarters, so a relatively large number of work permits for qualified third-country nationals (B permits under Art. 23 FNIA). There is no international-organisation practice comparable to Geneva.

ZH: Zurich

  • Act: Introductory Act to the Law on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Zurich collection, LS).
  • Office: Migrationsamt Kanton Zürich, Sicherheitsdirektion.
  • Practice: the most populous canton, with a highly standardised practice, many published guidelines, online forms and electronic portals. It works with the city of Zurich and other municipalities. See the Canton of Zurich.

Which language to use

The language of your procedure follows the canton's official languages (Art. 70 of the Federal Constitution and cantonal procedural law). Use that language for forms, attachments and letters. If you do not, the office may set you a deadline to correct it, or your file may be delayed. Forms are not interchangeable either: a Zurich form cannot simply be sent to the OCPM in Geneva. Check each canton's translation rules for original documents.

LanguageCantons
German only (17)ZH, BS, BL, LU, ZG, AG, SH, SG, AR, AI, GL, NW, OW, UR, SZ, SO, TG
French only (4)GE, VD, NE, JU
Italian only (1)TI
German and French (3)BE, FR, VS
German, Italian and Romansh (1)GR
  • French and Italian cantons: documents in other languages usually need a certified translation.
  • Bern: German in most of the canton, French in the Bernese Jura. The language follows where you live or the language you use.
  • Fribourg: French (majority) and German (Lake District, Sense). You usually choose.
  • Valais: French in Lower Valais, German in Upper Valais; the regional language applies.
  • Graubünden: German (majority), Italian (Misox, Calanca, Bregaglia, Poschiavo) and Romansh (Surselva, Engadine, Sutselva, Surmeir and others). Italian and Romansh procedures are possible but less common.

Debts and your permit

Open debt enforcement or debts under the Federal Act on Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy (DEBA, SR 281.1) do not on their own lead to revocation under Art. 62 or 63 FNIA, which are about security, public order and other listed grounds. Debts can still count against you in the integration assessment under Art. 58a FNIA.

Sources

This index draws on the cantonal migration offices' own websites and guidelines; legal commentaries (Spescha, Zünd, Bolzli, Hruschka et al., Migrationsrecht Kommentar; Caroni, Grasdorf-Meyer, Ott, Scheiber, Migrationsrecht; publications of the SFM); SEM and Federal Statistical Office statistics; and published cantonal administrative-court decisions. Check the latest edition of any commentary before relying on it. The practice notes above summarise that literature; they do not rank cantons. For your own case, consult a lawyer on the bar register of your canton.

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