Immigration & permits
expat-services.ch lists 4 hand-checked English-speaking immigration lawyers in Zürich: Immigration-Lawyer.ch, Legal XII Tables Avocats, Wenger Vieli and Wisler Legal.
Besides English, they also work in German and French. Every profile shows the services, languages and contact details, checked by hand before going live. See also Lawyers and notaries in Zürich.
4 providers
Zürich attorney practice focused on Swiss migration law: B/C permits, work permits, family reunification, naturalisation and appeals against immigration decisions in all cantons.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Zürich law firm assisting individuals and companies with entry and residence of foreign nationals, permits, family reunification, naturalisation and asylum matters.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Business law firm in Zürich and Zug with a migration team advising on non-EU permits, secondments, family reunification, cross-border commuters and naturalisation.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Zürich law office advising expats and companies on foreigner/immigration law and permit matters, alongside corporate, contract, real estate and employment law.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Local facts
An appeal against a decision of the Zurich Migration Office goes first to the Security Directorate (Sicherheitsdirektion), the directorate the office belongs to (Migration Office, checked ) (VRG, checked ). The appeal (Rekurs) is filed in writing within 30 days, counted from the day after the decision is communicated (VRG, checked ). A ruling of the directorate can be taken to the Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht) by a complaint (Beschwerde) that follows the same 30-day rule (VRG, checked ).
People without means can ask for procedural costs and advance payments to be waived, provided the appeal does not look obviously hopeless, and for a free legal representative if they cannot protect their rights alone (VRG, checked ). The amount is repayable once the person can afford it, and the canton's claim lapses ten years after the proceedings end (VRG, checked ). Administrative authorities award no party compensation at the first stage; in appeal and court proceedings the losing side can be ordered to pay an appropriate sum, notably where complicated legal questions justified a lawyer (VRG, checked ).
The provisions above are the text in force since 1 July 2026; the revision of 30 October 2023 on electronic procedures takes effect on 1 January 2027 (VRG, checked ) (Zurich courts, checked ).
Arrivals from abroad register in person at the Personenmeldeamt Zürich Süd in the Stadthaus, Stadthausquai 17, with a booked appointment, and only once they actually live in the city (City of Zurich, checked ). The deadline is 14 days (2026) (City of Zurich, checked ); the fee is CHF 40 per adult, plus the cantonal migration office’s permit fees for foreign nationals (City of Zurich, checked ). More in our guide to 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