A levy on foreign hires moves into the mainstream, and the border cameras come back on.

The week

The Federal Council now backs an immigration levy, as a fallback

The government said it supports a Council of States committee motion for a levy on immigration, three years after calling a similar idea discriminatory. It would only apply if Switzerland activates the safeguard clause in the new EU agreements, and only once those agreements are in force. The amounts discussed are at least CHF 4,000 per foreign employee, paid by the employer, and at least CHF 2,000 per adult family member. It is a motion, not a law, and it changes nothing about a permit you already hold.

Source: SRF

Europe's Entry/Exit System checks resume at the borders

The European Commission refused a request from Switzerland and eight EU states to extend the summer pause, so full checks returned on Monday 7 September. Short-stay travellers who are not Swiss, EU or EFTA nationals have their face and fingerprints recorded when they enter the Schengen area. If family is visiting from outside Europe, tell them the first entry takes longer.

Source: The Local Switzerland

Vaud votes on 27 September on a 12 percent income and wealth tax cut

The initiative, launched by business and property groups, would cut cantonal income and wealth tax by 12 percent, at an estimated cost of CHF 272 million a year on top of a 7 percent cut already in place. Vaud's tax burden index stands at 131, against a Swiss average of 100. Whoever votes, everyone who pays tax in Vaud would feel the result.

Source: Le News

The reference rate for rents stays at 1.25 percent

The Federal Office for Housing left the reference mortgage rate unchanged on 1 September, so it gives landlords no new ground to raise rents this quarter, and tenants no new ground to ask for a cut. The next publication is on 1 December. If your rent was never lowered after the 2025 cuts, it may still be worth asking: by one bank's count, few tenants did.

Source: IamExpat Switzerland

Geneva stops for the Jeûne genevois on Thursday 10 September

The Thursday after the first Sunday of September is a public holiday in Geneva and nowhere else. Offices, schools and most shops close while the rest of the country works. Check before you book a delivery, a viewing or an appointment across the canton border.

Source: République et canton de Genève

Inflation edges up to 0.8 percent

Consumer prices rose 0.4 percent in August and 0.8 percent on a year earlier. Rents, fuel, heating oil and hospital stays pushed the index up; package holidays and car rental pulled it down. Low by international standards, and still worth noticing in a lease that is indexed to prices.

Source: Federal Statistical Office

This week if you're arriving

• If you need an entry visa, keep the permit approval letter from the migration office with your passport when you travel in: the border officer may ask for it.
• If you arrive in Geneva this week, the 10th is a holiday there. Register at the commune within 14 days, and do not count on that Thursday.
• If you are signing a lease, ask which reference rate the rent is based on. 1.25 percent is the current figure.

City in focus: Lausanne

• The canton's tax burden is among the highest in the country, which is why the 27 September vote on a 12 percent cut matters to anyone earning here.
• The university's autumn semester starts on 15 September, and the city fills up again with it.
• Monday 21 September, the day after the Federal Day, is a public holiday in Vaud.
• Lausanne is built on slopes. Choose a flat by the metro line, not by the map, and your knees will thank you.

A quiet note

There is a particular feeling in reading that the country is discussing a fee for people like you. It lands somewhere under the ribs, even when the article says, correctly, that nothing applies to you yet. Notice the feeling, then read the detail. Most of what is debated in Bern never becomes law, and what does arrives slowly, with dates, and with time to prepare. You are allowed to follow it calmly. Calm is not the same as not caring.