Swiss Confederation vs Republic of Iraq
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Swiss Confederation and Republic of Iraq government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)
State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) - verified
- Iraq eVisa Portal
Republic of Iraq, Ministry of Interior eVisa Portal - verified
- SEM — Work in Switzerland
State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) - verified
- Iraq Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Visa
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Iraq - verified
Swiss Confederation
Switzerland operates a dual system: EU/EFTA nationals benefit from the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) with simplified procedures, while third-country nationals face strict quotas and labour-market tests. The cantonal migration offices (Migrationsämter) administer permits locally under federal SEM guidelines. Key permit types are B (residence), C (settlement/permanent), L (short-term), and G (cross-border commuter).
- Official portal
- State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian, Romansh
- Currency
- Swiss franc
Republic of Iraq
Iraq publishes tourist eVisa guidance through the Ministry of Interior eVisa portal and a wider consular visa-type framework through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The route set covers tourist eVisa, visit and tourism visas, normal visas, transit, multi-entry visas and work-permit-linked visa or residence cases, with extra caution for employment because MOFA says foreign-worker visas or residence permits generally require a Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs work permit.
- Official portal
- Republic of Iraq, Ministry of Interior eVisa Portal
- Languages
- Arabic, Kurdish
- Currency
- Iraqi dinar
How Swiss Confederation and Republic of Iraq differ
| Dimension | Swiss Confederation | Republic of Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 6 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 2 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 3 | 0 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | B Permit -> C permit after a nationality/integration-dependent period -> ordinary naturalisation after at least 10 years total residence. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | B Permit — Third-Country National (Aufenthaltsbewilligung) | Work-Permit-Linked Visa or Residence Permit |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | No fixed published floor | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | SEM - Non-EU/EFTA nationals does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | — | — |
| Official languages | German, French, Italian, Romansh | Arabic, Kurdish |
| Currency | Swiss franc | Iraqi dinar |
| Primary regulator | SAV | GDR |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Swiss Confederation
B Permit — Third-Country National (Aufenthaltsbewilligung)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- SEM - Non-EU/EFTA nationals does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Republic of Iraq
Work-Permit-Linked Visa or Residence Permit
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Swiss Confederation
Visa routes side by side
Swiss Confederation (5)
B Permit — Third-Country National (Aufenthaltsbewilligung)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 1 year; renewable annually.
L Permit — Short-Term Residence (Kurzaufenthaltsbewilligung)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 12 months; can be extended once for up to another 12 months in exceptional cases.
C Permit — Settlement (Niederlassungsbewilligung)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Indefinite — valid as long as you remain resident in Switzerland.
Student Residence Permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung für Studierende)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · 1 year; renewable for duration of studies.
Family Reunification (Familiennachzug)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Tied to the sponsor's permit status.
Republic of Iraq (6)
Tourist eVisa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The eVisa portal describes the eVisa as valid for 30 days; applicants should confirm whether their approval is single-entry or multiple-entry in the issued document.
Visit or Tourism Consular Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · MOFA describes tourist visa entry once during three months from grant with a one-month stay; visit visa wording also describes one-month entry and one-month residence for religious or holy-site visits.
Normal Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · One entry during three months from grant, with residence in Iraq not exceeding three months, according to the MOFA page.
Transit and Non-Stop Transit Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Transit visa: one entry within three months from grant and stay up to seven days. Non-stop transit: one supervised transit within three months without stopping.
Multi-Entry Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · MOFA says multi-entry visas may be granted for three months, six months or one year after the legal conditions are met.
Work-Permit-Linked Visa or Residence Permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The reviewed MOFA page does not publish a standard work-linked visa or residence-permit grant period; timing depends on the work permit, visa and residence channel used.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Swiss Confederation or Republic of Iraq?+
Swiss Confederation’s B Permit — Third-Country National (Aufenthaltsbewilligung) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Republic of Iraq’s Work-Permit-Linked Visa or Residence Permit is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Swiss Confederation or Republic of Iraq have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Republic of Iraq has more: 5 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 2 for Swiss Confederation. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Swiss Confederation vs Republic of Iraq immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/switzerland/vs/iraq. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons
Underlying comparison sources (4)