Graubünden revokes residence permits of suspected mafia members

One of the four people received a B permit in Chur in 2021 after Ticino had refused to grant him residence. That detail highlights how permit decisions can shift between cantons and why information sharing matters in cross-border cases.

The person later lived in Roveredo, a municipality in the Italian-speaking Moesa region. The source gives no further details about the earlier refusal by Ticino, including the grounds on which it was made. It also does not state whether the two cantonal decisions concerned identical evidence. Those limits matter when assessing the case, since a permit decision is based on the information and legal circumstances available at the time.

After the arrests in France and Italy, Graubünden’s migration office reassessed the residence status of all four people. The office ordered the permits withdrawn during the summer. No appeal followed, so the orders became final. The outcome illustrates how an administrative file can develop after an international criminal investigation, even while questions of guilt remain with criminal courts.

The case also places attention on the practical relationship between Switzerland’s cantons. Migration decisions are administered locally, while organised crime networks operate across borders. A refusal in one canton does not automatically determine every later application elsewhere. Authorities must examine each case under the applicable rules and evidence.

Graubünden began requiring criminal records for some EU/EFTA applications in the Moesa region from mid-August 2026. The temporary measure covers residence-permit applicants, seasonal workers and cross-border commuters. It is scheduled to remain in force until the end of December 2026.

The canton introduced the procedure after the Roveredo case. Applicants affected by the measure must submit a criminal record, giving officials additional information when they assess applications. The policy applies in a region with close daily links across the Swiss Italian border, where workers, residents and businesses regularly move between jurisdictions.

Mosca said the adjustment is intended to support security and prevention. He also said the canton would assess its effectiveness, practicality and added value at the end of the year. The review will determine whether the temporary procedure provides useful information without creating unnecessary administrative burdens for applicants and employers.

The new requirement does not replace criminal investigations or court proceedings. It gives migration officials another source of information during permit assessments. The canton must still apply the legal rules governing EU/EFTA residents and distinguish between an application for a new permit and the withdrawal of an existing one. The Roveredo decision shows how rarely the latter occurs, while the Moesa measure shows how Graubünden is testing a more systematic screening tool.

The permit decision arrives as Switzerland prepares a national strategy on organised crime by the end of 2026. The federal government has said Switzerland is increasingly affected by organised crime and plans to adopt a nationwide approach. Graubünden’s response in the Moesa region offers a canton-level example of how authorities are tightening administrative checks while that broader strategy takes shape.

The national and cantonal measures operate on different levels. A federal strategy can establish common priorities for law enforcement and prevention. Graubünden’s temporary procedure deals specifically with information collected during residence and work-permit applications. Neither measure changes the criminal courts’ responsibility for convictions or expulsions ordered through criminal proceedings.

For residents and employers in the Moesa region, the immediate effect is procedural. Some EU/EFTA applicants, seasonal workers and cross-border commuters must provide a criminal record until the end of December 2026. At year’s end, the canton will examine whether the additional screening delivered practical value.

The four Roveredo permits are already final because no appeal was filed. Their case will continue to inform debate over how Switzerland handles suspected organised crime while observing the legal protections attached to residence rights. The next test will be whether Graubünden’s temporary screening system produces information that authorities can use consistently and lawfully.