Almost 40,000 foreign permanent residents left Switzerland in the first half of 2026, 4.3% more than in the same period last year. According to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), this is part of a broader trend: emigration by foreign residents has been rising since 2023.

At the same time, immigration is slowing. In the first six months of 2026, 74,112 foreigners joined Switzerland’s permanent resident population, 2.9% fewer than a year earlier. Net immigration fell by 12.5%, to 29,884. At the end of June, Switzerland was home to 2.43m permanent foreign residents, more than a quarter of the population.

The decline was most pronounced among migrants from outside the European Union and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations. Immigration from EU and EFTA countries slipped by just 0.7%, to 55,761. Arrivals from elsewhere fell by 9%, to 18,351.

Emigration moved higher. Some 39,251 permanent foreign residents left Switzerland in the first half of the year, up by 1,608 from the same period in 2025. Roughly three-quarters were citizens of EU or EFTA countries. Relative to the size of their resident populations, Indians and Chinese were among those most likely to leave.

The figures challenge the idea that migration is mostly a one-way journey. Highly skilled workers from countries such as the US, China, Japan and Canada are particularly likely to move on. Among migrants from OECD countries outside the EU and EFTA, an estimated 70-80% leave Switzerland again within three to five years. Many arrive knowing that their stay will be temporary. Multinational companies often send employees to Switzerland for a project or a fixed-term assignment. Once the job is done, they leave.

Employment remains the main reason people come to Switzerland. More than four-fifths of immigration from the EU and EFTA is linked to work. In the first half of 2026, 41,321 workers from those countries moved to Switzerland for longer-term employment, 1.6% fewer than a year earlier.

That helps explain why the economy is also one of the main determinants of whether migrants stay. Good job prospects encourage people to remain; deteriorating conditions, or better opportunities elsewhere, make departure more likely.

Personal ties matter, too. Migrants with close family and friends abroad have more reason to leave. Those who have a partner or children in Switzerland are more likely to put down roots.

Other labour-market indicators also suggest a slight cooling. Switzerland issued 33,219 new cross-border commuter permits in the first half of 2026, down from 36,876 (-10%) a year earlier. Short-term work permits, however, rose from 164,779 to 169,514 (+3%).

Retirement is another turning-point. A Swiss pension stretches further in countries where living costs are lower. This is particularly visible among Portuguese migrants who came to Switzerland in the 1980s. Many are now returning to Portugal, where their Swiss pensions have greater purchasing power.

Switzerland’s imigration is far more fluid than it may appear. Among people who moved to Switzerland in 2011, about 20% had left again within two years. After five years, 35% had gone; after ten, almost half.

The popular image of migrants arriving and settling permanently is misleading. Many come with a job, a project or a timeframe. Switzerland may be the destination—but often only for a while.

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