Work permits in the canton of Zurich can now be applied for via the cantonal platform ZHservices. Thanks to a newly designed specialist application, companies can handle the entire application process with the canton digitally.
Foreign nationals who fall under the provisions for third-country nationals require a work permit in Switzerland. The same applies to employees of companies based in the EU/EFTA who are posted to Switzerland for more than 90 days per calendar year. In the canton of Zurich, companies have been able to submit these applications via the new specialist application workpermit.services.zh.ch since this week. It is the first digital offering on the cantonal transaction platform ZHservices that is aimed at corporate customers. The new customer portal guides those responsible in the companies through the entire application process. It includes the electronic exchange of data with the authority responsible at the Office for Economy as well as the digital delivery of the order and invoice to the customer.
The previous "e-Work Permit" (eWP) system had been in use at the Department for Economic Affairs for more than 20 years. The work permit division in the Office of Economy therefore processed an average of around 15,000 to 18,000 applications per year over many years. Due to high operating costs and outdated technologies, the eWP specialist application urgently needed to be replaced. The new concept was launched in July 2021. Following a successful pilot phase, to which selected companies contributed, the new portal has now gone live.
The new solution meets today's technical standards, is stable, adaptable, expandable and supports the current day-to-day work of the work permit department. The new application implements the Canton of Zurich's Digital Administration strategy by offering a modern and user-friendly user experience for companies in the Canton of Zurich, as well as for internal users on the central ZHservices platform. An additional connection to easyGov, the federal government's online counter for companies, is still in preparation. The canton of Zurich is involved in this project as a pilot canton.