Migrationsamt
Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich is a cantonal government agency that processes immigration applications, residence and work permits, visas, cross-border commuter permits, and asylum procedures for approximately 435,000 foreign nationals in Canton Zurich, staffed by about 180 employees under the Security Directorate.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersZurich, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Migrationsamt does
Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich is a cantonal government agency operating under the Security Directorate (Sicherheitsdirektion) of Canton Zurich, Switzerland. It is the statutory authority responsible for processing immigration applications, issuing entry and residence permits, extending visas, granting work authorizations, handling cross-border commuter permits (Grenzgängerbewilligungen), administering asylum procedures under Swiss federal law, and enforcing alien-law measures within the Canton. The agency employs approximately 180 staff members and serves roughly 435,000 foreign nationals residing and working in Canton Zurich. Michael Schneeberger, a lawyer, has led the office as Amtschef since January 2023, having previously served as Deputy Department Head and Head of Legal Services since 2013.
The agency's service portfolio is delivered through three primary channels: a physical counter service at Berninastrasse 45 in Zurich (Monday–Friday 08:00–16:30), a phone service, and digital channels including the EasyGov online portal for work-permit applications and the official Canton Zurich website. Supporting materials include downloadable forms, administrative directives ("Weisungen"), and bilingual (German/English) explanatory videos. The office implements the agreement on the free movement of persons between Switzerland and the EU/EFTA, the Schengen and Dublin conventions, and Swiss asylum law, in coordination with the federal SEM (Staatssekretariat für Migration).
The business model is wholly non-commercial: the agency is funded through the Canton of Zurich's general tax revenues and budget allocations under the Security Directorate. There are no fees charged to applicants for standard immigration services, no disclosed pricing structure, and no revenue generation from services rendered. No proprietary technology, patents, AI/ML systems, or commercial product platform are disclosed in the source data. Operational scale is large (435,000 residents served) but is structurally capped by the cantonal jurisdiction, and demand drivers are demographic and geopolitical (e.g., the Ukraine S-protection caseload) rather than market-driven.
Migrationsamt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Migrationsamt
- Legal name
- Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich
- Website
- https://ma.zh.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich is a cantonal government agency that processes immigration applications, residence and work permits, visas, cross-border commuter permits, and asylum procedures for approximately 435,000 foreign nationals in Canton Zurich, staffed by about 180 employees under the Security Directorate.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Migrationsamt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Immigration Services
- NAICS
- National Security and International Affairs (928)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Immigration, Citizenship & Border Administration (Civil) (BPAIAAAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL), Destination Immigration Services (In-Country Registration, Residence Permits, Renewals) (THACAKAI), Work Permit & Employment Authorization Services (THACAKAB), Immigration Legal Services & Representation (Law Firms) (THACAKAF), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)
Keywords
Where Migrationsamt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zurich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Migrationsamt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Government Operations: Funded by Canton Zurich government through tax revenues. No direct revenue generation from services rendered to the public.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Migrationsamt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich is the cantonal government agency responsible for processing immigration applications and issuing entry, residence, settlement, and work permits for foreign nationals in Canton Zurich. The office enforces the EU/EFTA Free Movement of Persons Agreement, Schengen and Dublin conventions, Swiss asylum law, and alien law within its jurisdiction. It also administers related services such as visa extensions, return travel visas, cross-border commuter permits, and S-protection status for Ukrainian refugees.
Product overview
The Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich provides a unified portfolio of government administrative services for immigration matters rather than a commercial tech product platform. The core services include visa processing, residence and settlement permits, work permits (including EasyGov online submission), cross-border commuter permits, asylum processing, and enforcement of alien law. Supporting services include downloadable forms and directives, explanatory videos in multiple languages, and online contact capabilities. The office serves approximately 435,000 foreign nationals residing and working in the Canton of Zürich with a staff of 180 employees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Visa Services
Companies that use Migrationsamt
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Migrationsamt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Migrationsamt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Federal Government / SEM (Staatssekretariat fur Migration)coreCoordination with federal immigration authorities for matters beyond cantonal jurisdiction, including federal asylum procedures and inter-cantonal coordination under Dublin and Schengen agreements.
- EU and EFTA (EU/EFTA Free Movement of Persons)coreImplements the agreement on the free movement of persons between Switzerland and the EU/EFTA states, coordinating cross-border worker movement and residence rights.
- Schengen and Dublin Convention PartnerscoreCoordinates implementation of Schengen visa standards and Dublin asylum procedures with other convention member states.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Migrationsamt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF): Germany's federal migration and refugee office; performs the same immigration administration, asylum, and integration functions as Migrationsamt Zürich but in a different national jurisdiction with similar EU/Schengen constraints.
Broad incumbents
- Staatssekretariat für Migration (SEM): Swiss federal migration authority that sets nationwide immigration policy, processes asylum at the federal level, and coordinates with the cantonal Migrationsamt Zürich on cross-jurisdictional cases — directly comparable in core function.
- UK Home Office (Visas and Immigration): UK government body responsible for visas, asylum, and immigration enforcement — comparable immigration administration function across the same case categories (residence, work, asylum) as Migrationsamt Zürich, though at the national level.
- USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services): U.S. federal agency for immigration benefits administration (visas, green cards, asylum) — performs equivalent immigration-administration and permit-issuance functions as Migrationsamt Zürich but at the federal U.S. scale.
Direct peers
- Migrationsamt Kanton Bern: Cantonal migration office for Bern, another major Swiss canton providing the same immigration administration portfolio as Migrationsamt Zürich under shared federal legislation.
- Migrationsamt Kanton St. Gallen: Cantonal migration office for St. Gallen issuing permits and enforcing alien law — same operational scope, same federal framework, same Swiss-wide clientele profile as Migrationsamt Zürich.
- Migrationsamt Basel-Landschaft: Cantonal migration office for Basel-Landschaft issuing residence and work permits and handling enforcement under federal law — operationally and structurally identical to Migrationsamt Zürich.
- Migrationsamt Kanton Aargau: Cantonal migration office for Aargau delivering identical residence-permit, work-permit, and asylum-processing services within the same Swiss legal framework as Migrationsamt Zürich.
- Migrationsamt Basel-Stadt: Cantonal migration office of Basel-Stadt performing the same immigration administration, permit issuance, and asylum-processing functions as Migrationsamt Zürich but in a different canton — directly comparable in mandate and service catalog.
Others
- EasyGov: Swiss federal online government portal that Migrationsamt Zürich uses for work-permit applications — comparable as a digital delivery channel for government services and a key technology partner rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Migrationsamt social profiles
Digital presenceMigrationsamt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Migrationsamt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Migrationsamt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Migrationsamt M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Migrationsamt
What does Migrationsamt do?
The Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich is the cantonal government agency responsible for processing immigration applications and issuing entry, residence, settlement, and work permits for foreign nationals in Canton Zurich. The office enforces the EU/EFTA Free Movement of Persons Agreement, Schengen and Dublin conventions, Swiss asylum law, and alien law within its jurisdiction. It also administers related services such as visa extensions, return travel visas, cross-border commuter permits, and S-protection status for Ukrainian refugees.
Is Migrationsamt a public or private company?
Migrationsamt is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Migrationsamt founded?
Migrationsamt was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Migrationsamt based?
Migrationsamt is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Migrationsamt make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Operations.
Who are Migrationsamt's main competitors?
Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Staatssekretariat für Migration (SEM), UK Home Office (Visas and Immigration) and USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). Direct peers are Migrationsamt Kanton Bern, Migrationsamt Kanton St. Gallen, Migrationsamt Basel-Landschaft, Migrationsamt Kanton Aargau and Migrationsamt Basel-Stadt. EasyGov is listed as an others.
Does Migrationsamt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Migrationsamt.
What industry is Migrationsamt in?
Migrationsamt's product category is Government Immigration Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAAAN, Immigration, Citizenship & Border Administration (Civil), with a secondary code of BPAHAAAL, Immigration Law. Its NAICS code is 928 and its SIC code is 8111.