Employment, EU – Baltic States, Legislation

The quotas, which take effect on May 1, are designed to block an estimated 4,000 migrants from the so-called "A8" nations that joined the European Union in 2004 – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, writes LETA/AFP.

The government said it would review the program before it expires at the end of April 2013 and consider extending it another year.

The government announced on April 18 that it was reinstating the quotas but had not given specifics.

The quotas affect "B" permits that allow foreign nationals to work in Switzerland for periods of a year or more.

Since Switzerland lifted immigration restrictions on A8 nationals on May 1, 2011, some 6,000 citizens from the eight countries have been granted long-term work permits.