Hello,

I as a non-EU have worked in Zurich for a few years and now aim to work in Basel for another company. I am wondering if the employer needs to apply for a work permit again? Or mine is valid there? If they need to apply, it would be from the annual quota? Or that's only for the first work permit? Thanks.

Yes, they need to apply since your current permit is tied to your current employer. Once that job ends, so does your permit. It's not easy to change employers on a non-EU permit.

Thanks. I think the permit is not tied to the employer, is it? One can work within the conton without any issue. As far as I know, people can change their employer within a given canton easily. Is there any reference for this?

Yes, the letter that came with your permit. It will most likely state that it's tied to your employer as most non-EU national permits are. Check with your cantonal migration office if you don't have the letter. What we call "open" B permits are rare to get straight off; they're the only ones you can change jobs easily with as they are not tied to your employer. If you've been here a few years then it may have been changed to an open one, but check with the migration office to be sure.

Thanks. I am almost sure that this is open but I will double check. But let's imagine that it's open. If I want to start a job in Basel, the whole process will be restarted? Or since I have a permit for a few years, I can use the same in Basel as well?

You would have to request a new permit from Basel, but it should be straightforward to get one.

I agree with Medea - if the permit is open, there is no quota upon canton change. Ask your migration office in Zürich whether your permit is tied to your employer or not; it is not obvious from the physical permit itself.