Integration agreements and the integration criteria

An integration agreement is a written agreement between you and the cantonal migration office that sets integration goals, such as reaching a language level or finding work, with measures, a deadline and funding. The office can require one when it grants or renews your permit and sees a particular integration need. If you do not meet it without a valid excuse, your permit may not be renewed or may be revoked, but only after the office weighs your situation.

In short

• The four integration criteria are in Art. 58a para. 1 FNIA: respect for public security and order, respect for the values of the Federal Constitution, language skills, and taking part in working life or education.
• The agreement itself is in Art. 58b FNIA. If the office requires one, your permit is granted or renewed only once you sign it (Art. 58b para. 3 FNIA).
• Its goals become conditions of your permit (Art. 77g para. 4 OASA).
• Illness, disability and other major personal circumstances must be taken into account (Art. 58a para. 2 FNIA, Art. 77f OASA).
• Missing the goals is not automatic grounds for revocation. The office first checks whether you had a valid excuse, then weighs proportionality (Art. 96 FNIA).

What the agreement is

The integration agreement (Integrationsvereinbarung in German, convention d'intégration in French) is a tool of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20). It sets out, for you individually, integration goals, measures, deadlines and funding, usually covering language and schooling, vocational or economic integration.

It has two legal bases. The integration criteria that the goals are based on are in Art. 58a FNIA. The agreement as a tool is in Art. 58b FNIA. The Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (OASA, SR 142.201) fills in the details in Art. 77a to 77g OASA.

The agreement was introduced when the Foreign Nationals Act came into force on 1 January 2008. The integration reform (Federal Act of 16 December 2016, in force since 1 January 2019) gave Art. 58a and 58b FNIA their current form. The OASA rules were last extended by the revision of 27 November 2024, in force since 1 January 2025.

Agreement or recommendation? An integration recommendation (Art. 58b para. 4 FNIA) is informal and has no direct sanctions. It is used for people on whom an agreement cannot legally be imposed, especially people with free movement rights. An agreement is binding.

The office uses agreements mainly in two situations: when first granting a permit to someone with a particular integration need, for example through family reunification without language skills; and at renewal, if it sees gaps in the integration criteria. Both must be proportionate (Art. 96 FNIA) and take account of your personal circumstances (Art. 58a para. 2 FNIA, Art. 77f OASA).

The four integration criteria

Art. 58a FNIA says, in paraphrase:

• Para. 1: the authority assesses integration by (a) respect for public security and order, (b) respect for the values of the Federal Constitution, (c) language skills, and (d) taking part in economic life or acquiring education.
• Para. 2: it must take due account of people who, because of disability, illness or other major personal circumstances, cannot meet criteria (c) and (d), or can meet them only with great difficulty.
• Para. 3: the Federal Council sets the language level needed to grant or renew a permit, which it has done in the OASA.

The list is exhaustive: four criteria, no fifth, and no para. 4. Things like club membership, volunteering or contact with Swiss people are not criteria in themselves, but can count as signs in the overall assessment.

Public security and order (let. a)

You must respect the Swiss legal order. Under Art. 77a OASA you fail this criterion in particular if you disregard laws or official decisions, wilfully fail to meet public or private law obligations, or publicly approve of crimes against public peace. In practice, criminal proceedings, convictions and repeatedly ignoring official orders count against you.

This criterion is linked to the revocation grounds in Art. 62 para. 1 let. c and Art. 63 para. 1 let. b FNIA. Debts alone, such as debt enforcement or certificates of loss, do not lead to revocation, but wilfully not paying can count in the integration assessment. See debt enforcement and residence law and revocation of a residence or settlement permit.

Values of the Federal Constitution (let. b)

Art. 77c OASA lists the values that matter: (a) the rule of law and Switzerland's free and democratic order; (b) fundamental rights such as equality between women and men, the right to life and personal freedom, freedom of belief and conscience, and freedom of opinion; and (c) compulsory schooling. Refusing to send your children to school, or actively rejecting constitutional principles, counts against you. Holding different political, religious or other views does not: what counts is actively disregarding constitutional principles, not disagreeing. This follows from freedom of opinion, belief and conscience (Art. 15 and 16 Cst., SR 101).

Language skills (let. c)

Proof of language skills is governed by Art. 77d OASA. Levels follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, levels A1 to C2), and the required level comes from Art. 58a para. 3 FNIA with the OASA.

The language must be a national language spoken where you live: German, French or Italian. Romansh is a national language but rarely relevant in practice. English does not count.

Under Art. 77d OASA, you have proved your language skills if, in particular, you:

1. speak and write the language as your mother tongue;
2. attended compulsory school in that language for at least three years;
3. completed upper-secondary or tertiary education in the local national language; or
4. hold a certificate from a recognised, quality-assured language test.

The fide certificate is the Swiss standard and is accepted in all cantons. It certifies speaking and writing separately and is taken at accredited fide centres. Recognised international certificates are also accepted if they refer to the CEFR and come from a quality-assured test (see the official list from fide or the SEM).

Work or education (let. d)

This criterion can be met either way (Art. 77e OASA). You take part in economic life if you can cover your living costs and maintenance obligations from earnings, assets or benefits you are legally entitled to. You meet the education alternative if you are in initial or continuing education, such as school, an apprenticeship, university, or recognised further training with a certificate.

In practice, the office looks mainly at whether you receive social assistance. Receiving it is not in itself a deficit, but long-term reliance, or not actively looking for work, can count against you. The office considers whether you are to blame for needing help. Debts do not on their own lead to a sanction, but can count indirectly under let. a and let. d. Some cantons have been stricter about debts, social assistance and integration since 2024. There is no Swiss-wide threshold; check your canton's information sheets. Caring for children or relatives is not mentioned in let. d but can count as a major personal circumstance under Art. 77f OASA.

Naturalisation has a fifth criterion

The FNIA has only four criteria. The Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0) adds a fifth for naturalisation: encouraging and supporting the integration of your spouse, registered partner and minor children (Art. 12 para. 1 let. e SCA). In residence law, family integration is not a separate criterion; at most it counts through compulsory schooling (Art. 77c OASA) or the overall assessment.

Language levels by procedure

These are the standard federal levels. Family reunification leaves room for cantonal differences. Residence and settlement follow the FNIA and OASA; naturalisation follows the SCA and the Swiss Citizenship Ordinance (SCO, SR 141.01).

For a first B permit through family reunification, a low level or registering for a language course is often enough; ask your cantonal migration office. For the early C permit, the spoken level is higher, and you must be particularly well integrated and communicate well in the local language. See language proof (A1 / A2 / B1 fide).

When the office uses an agreement

The office decides case by case whether to make an agreement (Art. 77g para. 1 OASA). It is not mandatory. Typical occasions:

• a first permit for someone with a particular integration need;
• integration gaps found at renewal;
• gaps found when you are assessed for a C permit;
• family reunification without enough language skills.

The agreement sets out (Art. 58b para. 1 FNIA):

• concrete goals, such as a language level, a job or course attendance;
• measures, such as a language course, integration course or job search;
• a deadline, in practice often 12 to 36 months;
• how it is funded.

It can cover in particular learning the language, schooling, vocational or economic integration, and learning about Swiss living conditions, the economic system and the legal order (Art. 58b para. 2 FNIA). The office must take your personal circumstances into account (Art. 77g para. 2 OASA) and advise you where needed (Art. 77g para. 3 OASA).

Practice in some cantons

This is a rough guide; the cantonal information sheets decide.

• Vaud: has long used the convention d'intégration regularly and formally, with set levels, deadlines and proof.
• Zurich: follows federal law and SEM directives, with its own information sheet; used for gaps in language or work.
• Geneva: depends on the situation, with an emphasis on language courses.
• Basel-Stadt and Bern: case by case, with their own language support.
• Aargau: stricter since 2024, alongside its practice on debts and social assistance.
• Lucerne, St. Gallen, Ticino, Fribourg: own information sheets; practice not uniformly published.

These differences are allowed because Art. 58a and 58b FNIA are framework provisions, as long as cantons act proportionately (Art. 96 FNIA).

The procedure step by step

1. Review. When you apply for a first permit, a renewal or a C permit, the office looks at your file, criminal and debt-enforcement records, social assistance confirmations and language proofs (Art. 77g para. 1 OASA).
2. Hearing. If it sees a particular integration need, it gives you the right to be heard (Art. 29 para. 2 Cst.), usually in writing with a deadline. You can respond, send proof such as a language certificate you already have, or point to personal circumstances under Art. 77f OASA.
3. Agreement. If the need remains, the agreement is drawn up in writing (Art. 58b para. 1 FNIA). Your permit is granted or renewed only once it is signed, and its goals become permit conditions (Art. 58b para. 3 FNIA, Art. 77g para. 4 OASA).
4. Working towards the goals. The office may ask for progress reports and advises you where needed (Art. 77g para. 3 OASA). Cantons offer integration programmes, language courses and advice centres.
5. Check and consequences. At the deadline, the office checks whether you met the goals. If you did, your permit is granted or renewed normally. If not, it first checks whether you had a valid excuse (Art. 77g para. 5 OASA; Art. 62 para. 1 let. g FNIA). Without one, it weighs the public interest against your situation (Art. 96 para. 1 FNIA).

Hardship and proportionality

Under Art. 58a para. 2 FNIA and Art. 77f OASA, the office must take due account of your situation if you cannot meet the language or work criteria, or can do so only with great difficulty, because of:

• a physical, mental or psychological disability;
• a serious or long-lasting illness;
• other major personal circumstances, in particular serious difficulties with learning, reading and writing; being poor despite working; family care duties; and, since 1 January 2025, the effects of domestic violence or forced marriage.

In these cases the criteria can be relaxed, and language requirements reduced or waived. Proof is usually a medical certificate, a specialist report or a social report. The canton assesses it, and practice differs. If you are affected by domestic violence, see help with domestic violence.

The review follows the Federal Supreme Court's test of suitability, necessity and reasonableness, in light of the right to private and family life (Art. 13 Cst.; Art. 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, ECHR, SR 0.101).

If you do not meet the agreement

Not meeting an agreement does not lead to revocation automatically. The office first checks whether you had a valid excuse (Art. 77g para. 5 OASA; Art. 62 para. 1 let. g FNIA). If you did, there are no negative consequences. If not, it weighs the public interest against your situation (Art. 96 para. 1 FNIA). Roughly:

• First failure or partial success: usually a written warning and more time.
• Continued failure without excuse: your B permit is not renewed or you are not granted a C permit; an L permit is usually not extended.
• Serious failure: revocation of your permit, if there is a revocation ground under Art. 62 FNIA, for agreements in particular Art. 62 para. 1 let. g FNIA.

The Federal Supreme Court has held that simply not meeting an agreement, without other factors, usually does not justify revocation if you have lived here a long time, have close family ties or have made documented efforts.

What the office looks at

As well as formal proof, some cantons consider softer signs, though these are not criteria in themselves and their weight varies:

• Language proofs: fide, telc, Goethe-Institut, TestDaF, ÖSD (German); DELF/DALF, TCF, TEF (French); CELI, CILS, PLIDA, AIL (Italian).
• Work: employment contract, pay slips, OASI (AHV) extract.
• Tax and social insurance: tax assessments, confirmation from the social services that you do not receive assistance, debt-enforcement extract.
• Education: your children's school reports, apprenticeship or university diplomas, further training certificates.
• Social participation: clubs, volunteering, involvement at your children's school.
• Stability: a long, uninterrupted stay in the same place.
• Illness or disability: medical certificates, specialist reports, disability insurance decisions, for the hardship clause (Art. 58a para. 2 FNIA with Art. 77f OASA).

If you have been asked to sign an agreement, or cannot meet one, contact a lawyer registered in a cantonal bar register who specialises in immigration law.

Related pages

• FNIA and OASA terminology glossary
• The B residence permit and the C settlement permit
• Family reunification with a Swiss national
• Marriage to a Swiss national