KPMG Law Switzerland

A Big-Four Law Practice with Deep Immigration Reach

KPMG Law Switzerland operates an immigration law practice within the global KPMG legal network, serving "individuals and organizations seeking to do business or relocate to Switzerland." The practice is led by Shirin Yasargil in her role as Director, Head Immigration Services and Cross Border Employment Law, under Adrian Tuescher who heads KPMG Law Switzerland overall. The combination of legal expertise and broader tax, audit and corporate advisory capabilities means the firm can address immigration as part of larger relocations or corporate setup projects. This integration is what distinguishes KPMG from a boutique immigration firm.

What Immigration Means in KPMG's Hands

For an individual or a company moving to Switzerland, immigration at KPMG typically sits within a larger engagement. A single professional relocating receives guidance on work permits and visa processing; a family moving with dependents engages on family reunification including specific rules around in-laws and household help (nannies), reflecting the practical reality that international moves involve more than the primary mover. An organization bringing in key talent or establishing operations gets a comprehensive right-to-work verification and immigration audit to ensure compliance as headcount ramps up. This kind of audit matters when a company is hiring ten foreign nationals at once and needs assurance that each hire clears the work permit requirements.

The firm's own language emphasizes guiding clients through "legal, tax, and social security risks" of relocation, which positions immigration law as one layer of a broader international mobility project. This distinction, immigration as one piece of a larger relocation puzzle, is valuable when relocation entails tax planning, compensation structure decisions, or company setup. It can also mean higher cost if you need only immigration advice; you would be paying for expertise you do not use.

Specifics of KPMG's Immigration Service

The site lists work permit and visa processing, right-to-work verification, immigration audits, and family reunification as core services. The practice has more than 15 years of standing in Swiss immigration law, indicating established relationships with cantonal authorities and proven track records on permit applications. Services are offered in English, German and French, a language range that covers both German-speaking Switzerland and the French-speaking cantons, important for a client base that includes arrivals from across Europe and globally. KPMG Law has offices in multiple Swiss cities, with strong presence in Zurich and Geneva, the two largest expat hubs.

The firm's positioning within KPMG as a whole means access to tax counsel for the international relocation aspects of moving to Switzerland: withholding tax on foreign income, social contributions that may extend to prior employers in the home country, wealth tax implications for high-net-worth arrivals, and the tax treaty rules that determine which country taxes which income. Immigration alone rarely stands alone in a relocation; tax, employment contract structure, and company setup often travel together. A self-employed professional from the EU moving to run a company in Switzerland would likely benefit from KPMG's ability to address the permits alongside the business structure and tax domicile questions. A manager assigned by a multinational corporation would find similar value in the integrated model.

The immigration practice can also advise on the design of employment contracts and compensation packages that align with Swiss tax law, such as whether equity vesting schedules cross into taxable income differently in Switzerland than in the home country. These are the details that make immigration planning meaningful, not just permit form-filling.

What KPMG's Site Does Not Clarify

The website does not break down pricing models (hourly, fixed fee, project-based) or give indicative costs for common scenarios (individual work permit, small company setup, family reunification with two dependents). Someone considering whether KPMG is affordable has no benchmark. It does not publish indicative timelines from application submission to approval; typical wait times vary by canton and visa type, but KPMG could share ranges from experience. The site does not specify whether the firm handles the full application workflow (you hand over documents, they file with the canton, they follow up) or advises on strategy and leaves submission to the applicant or another partner. The family reunification service is mentioned but not detailed; for example, the site does not spell out rules around bringing elderly parents, adult children, or non-spousal dependents, leaving the reader to discover what fits within KPMG's scope.

A reader looking for a quick answer about whether a specific relocation scenario is feasible in Switzerland would need to contact the firm for preliminary guidance. The site functions more as a credential and contact point than as an informational resource that resolves specific questions. For someone trying to determine whether KPMG is the right fit before investing time in a consultation, the information asymmetry is a real gap.

Who Should Engage KPMG and Who Should Look Elsewhere

KPMG Law suits companies relocating executives or technical talent to Switzerland when immigration is part of a broader structural package (tax planning, compensation design, company setup). A large multinational assigning an expatriate manager to lead a Swiss subsidiary would find comprehensive support. A family of EU professionals moving to buy property and retire in Switzerland would have access to both immigration counsel and wealth-tax planning.

For a simpler case (a EU citizen taking a job at a Swiss startup with no dependents or unusual structure), the overhead of a Big Four engagement may not be proportionate to the immigration complexity. Engagement at KPMG Law runs at premium rates; the site does not publish hourly fees, though Big Four law practices typically exceed boutique firms' cost structure. For someone unable to pay premium rates (students, lower-wage arrivals, self-funded independent professionals), KPMG's engagement level puts it out of reach. For urgent matters where speed matters more than comprehensive counsel (you have two weeks to sort out a work permit extension and need focus), a specialist immigration firm may be faster. The practice's strength is breadth and the ability to thread immigration through tax and business setup; if immigration alone is the question, a specialized immigration lawyer or firm might offer better value and faster turnaround.

The Integration Premium

What you pay for at KPMG Law is integration: the ability to have one law firm manage immigration, employment, tax and corporate setup in a coordinated way, with continuity across those dimensions. If you value that integration and the firm's Big Four network, the premium price reflects real value. If your relocation is straightforward and immigration is the only question, the premium buys you access to expertise you do not use, making a specialist firm a better value.