🇨🇭 Family reunification

The MMP establishes a formal bilateral migration partnership between Switzerland and India under which the countries intend to facilitate lawful mobility while also strengthening cooperation on migration management. Switzerland expressly says the agreement creates legal mobility pathways and expands cooperation in education, science and the labour market. India's published outcome document provides the clearest presently available description of the new mobility provisions. It states that the MMP provides for multiple-entry visas of up to five years, allowing stays of up to six months during each visit, as well as renewable one-year student permits. These provisions should not be read as giving every Indian or Swiss national an automatic five-year visa or unrestricted six-month stays. The official outcome document does not set out the complete eligibility rules, and the broader immigration and visa requirements of each country remain relevant. The currently available official material also does not establish whether all of these provisions become operational immediately upon signature or require additional implementing steps. Accordingly, the safe position is that the agreement provides for these mobility arrangements, with detailed application conditions still to be confirmed. The YPS establishes a more targeted temporary mobility pathway. The agreement is designed for young professionals seeking temporary employment in the other country to improve their professional and language skills in their field. India's government specifies a reciprocal allocation of 300 people annually from each country, which can be increased to 500. Switzerland's established Young Professionals model gives an indication of the type of arrangement involved: participants normally need a completed higher-education or vocational qualification, work in the profession they have learned or their field of study, and receive a temporary work permit. However, the final India-specific eligibility rules should be taken from the implementing arrangements for this new agreement rather than assumed from the existing Swiss programme with other countries. The MMP also creates obligations in the opposite direction. It covers readmission of nationals required to leave, as well as cooperation to combat irregular migration, human trafficking and document forgery. This means that the agreement combines facilitation of lawful mobility with mechanisms intended to improve migration enforcement and return cooperation.