The Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police confirmed late on 23 September 2026 that Manuela Ernst has been appointed Deputy Director of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and head of the key Immigration & Integration division, effective 1 March 2027. Ernst, currently Director of Migration Strategy at the Zurich Department of Economic Affairs, will succeed Corinne Cerni, who retires after 12 years in the post. The Immigration & Integration division is the nerve-centre for all operational migration issues in Switzerland, overseeing work-permit quotas, family-reunification cases, labour-market testing, integration programmes and the country’s network of cantonal migration offices. It is also SEM’s liaison point with business associations that rely on international talent. In fiscal year 2025 the division processed more than 184,000 residence and work-permit applications and coordinated CHF 245 million in federal integration funding. According to the federal communiqué, Ernst brings “long-standing experience in both national and international migration policy” including a three-year secondment to the OECD’s International Migration Division and leadership roles in Zurich’s fast-track work-permit unit. Her appointment signals continuity but also a potential shift toward greater cantonal involvement in federal decision-making, a point welcomed by several large employers that regularly move staff across borders. Business-mobility specialists say Ernst’s background could translate into faster processing times and clearer guidance for companies. “She knows the pain points of multinationals and start-ups alike,” noted Martina Siegrist, head of global mobility at a Swiss pharmaceutical firm. Ernst has publicly advocated digital permitting and the expansion of the Job Change Track that allows L-permit holders to switch employers more easily. For global employers, the upcoming leadership change is worth monitoring. Policy priorities for 2027–2030—including potential adjustments to third-country quotas, a review of the UK-specific work-permit ceiling and ongoing Schengen digital-border projects—will land on Ernst’s desk as soon as she takes office. Companies planning 2027 assignment budgets should build in flexibility for possible procedural tweaks once the new deputy director sets her agenda.
