Access to Social Protection by Immigrants, Emigrants and Resident Nationals in Switzerland

Abstract

From a Swiss perspective, migration and transnational social protection is a subject of great importance because more than 30% of all the people working in Switzerland are migrants. This chapter shows that the Swiss social security provides protection for nationals and non-nationals, by granting access to health care and compensating the loss of income due to old age, disability, accidents, unemployment and other social risks. In some areas, the Swiss law contains rules that require domicile in Switzerland or Swiss citizenship, but for a majority of migrants, international agreements as well as EU Regulation n° 883/2004 waive such rules.