Switzerland or United Kingdom
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Switzerland | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 114 710 | $ 93 202 |
| Citizenship | 10 years | 6 years |
| Partner can work | yes | yes |
| Parents | difficult | difficult |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 4 542 · estimate | $ 3 596 |
| Basket | $ 80,0 | $ 37,8 |
| Life expectancy | 84.41 | 81.39 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.5 | 1.12 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 2.3 | 3.5 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Switzerland — 61, United Kingdom — 45. Types present in both: work, study, family, startup and job seeking. Switzerland adds: repatriation and retirement. United Kingdom adds: talent and working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Switzerland: fees range from 25 to 95 CHF. Routes with a published decision deadline: 9; the shortest is 3 days. United Kingdom: fees range from 206 to 3,635 GBP. Routes with no fee: 5. Routes stating an income threshold: 8; the lowest is 25,000 GBP a year. Routes with a published decision deadline: 36; the shortest is 21 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Switzerland after 10 years, United Kingdom after 5 years. Citizenship: Switzerland after 10 years, United Kingdom after 6 years. Both allow a second citizenship.
Switzerland in brief
A small country outside the EU (an EFTA and Schengen member) with some of Europe's highest IT salaries and low crime. Intake of specialists from outside the EU/EFTA is capped by annual quotas and demands high qualifications; citizenship comes after 10 years; parent reunification is limited to exceptional cases of dependency. The cost of living and of rent is among the highest in the world.
United Kingdom in brief
A developed IT labour market in an English-speaking environment, with no employer tie for Global Talent and HPI visas — but the main route (Skilled Worker) needs a sponsor and restricts changing jobs. Reuniting with parents, your own or a partner's, runs through the same hard-to-use ADR route with a high bar for proving a care need. Dual citizenship is allowed; naturalisation takes about 6 years.
Other comparisons
Switzerland or… Serbia · Norway · Armenia · Montenegro · Georgia
More on each: Switzerland · United Kingdom. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.