Immigration & permits
expat-services.ch lists 5 hand-checked English-speaking immigration consultants in Genève: Boundless Consultancy, Henley & Partners Switzerland, KPMG Switzerland – Immigration Services, Legal Expat Switzerland and Newland Chase Switzerland.
Besides English, they also work in French, Arabic and German. Every profile shows the services, languages and contact details, checked by hand before going live. See also Lawyers and notaries in Genève.
5 providers
Geneva consultancy founded by a former Swiss immigration officer, helping individuals and families with permits, family reunification, student permits and naturalisation.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Residence and citizenship planning firm with Zürich and Geneva offices, advising wealthy private clients on Swiss residence options incl. lump-sum taxation routes.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?KPMG Law team supporting employers with Swiss work permit and visa processing, business traveller programmes, compliance audits and complex cross-border immigration advice.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Geneva-based legal service for expats with immigration specialists and partner attorneys, offering flat-fee consultations on permits, naturalisation and family reunification, online or in person.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Geneva office of a global immigration firm supporting companies and individuals with Swiss work and residence permits, business travel, family immigration and compliance.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Local facts
In Geneva’s administrative procedure a party may be represented by a lawyer or by another representative who is professionally qualified for the matter, as well as by a spouse, registered partner or adult relative in the direct line, on a written power of attorney if asked (LPA E 5 10, checked ). Decisions of the OCPM on foreign nationals’ status can be appealed to the Tribunal administratif de première instance (LaLEtr F 2 10, checked ). The appeal period is 30 days from the day after notification, and the same 30 days apply to decisions of the labour inspectorate OCIRT (LPA E 5 10, checked ) (RaLEtr F 2 10.01, checked ). Time limits counted in days stand still from 15 July to 15 August, from 18 December to 2 January and for the seven days before and after Easter (LPA E 5 10, checked ).
The Bar Commission’s online database keeps separate lists of Geneva lawyers, EU/EFTA lawyers authorised under the federal Lawyers Act, trainees and law clerks (Geneva judiciary, checked ). The Geneva Bar Association’s Permanence, at rue Verdaine 13, offers consultations by volunteer lawyers every day, in person or by phone, for CHF 60 (Geneva Bar Association, checked ).
Legal aid for civil and administrative proceedings is handled by the Greffe de l’assistance juridique at Place du Bourg-de-Four 3. The aid is a debt to the canton, which can claim repayment within 10 years after the proceedings end (Geneva judiciary, checked ). Lawyers are bound, when called on, to represent a party without sufficient means in administrative litigation (LPA E 5 10, checked ).
Newcomers announce their arrival to the cantonal population and migration office (OCPM), route de Chancy 88 in Onex (ge.ch OCPM, checked ). Most procedures run online through an e-démarches account on ge.ch, and the counters open by appointment only. The deadline after arrival is 14 days (2026) (ge.ch arrival, checked ), and a first B or L permit costs an EU/EFTA adult CHF 65 (Canton of Geneva, checked ). The steps are in registering at your commune.
Read more How to find an English-speaking lawyer in SwitzerlandB, L and C permits in Switzerland: what’s the difference
Checked by the expat-services.ch editorial team
Guides for this
How it works
How to get a Swiss B permit: EU/EFTA and non-EU rules, steps, documents, and the fees and processing times in seven cantons, from the migration offices.
How it works
When you can switch from a B to a C permit: 5 or 10 years, language rules, steps, documents, and the fees and processing times in seven cantons.
How it works
How to get Swiss citizenship: naturalisation requirements, language level, steps, and the residence rules and fees of seven cantons, from official pages.
How it works
The fide language test in English: who runs it, the level each permit and Swiss citizenship needs, the format, the CHF 250 fee and test centres by city.
How it works
Where English-speaking jobs are in Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Zug and Bern, which work permit you need, 2026 quotas, salaries and Swiss CV norms.
How it works
L, B, C and G permits compared: EU/EFTA vs non-EU rules, 2026 quotas, renewals, family reunification and when you can get a C permit, with sources.