Knowledge of Switzerland's national languages is important to be able to participate in the labour market, and more broadly, to get to know people living in Switzerland. For foreign nationals, it is also a requirement for family reunification, to obtain a residence or settlement permit, and to benefit from ordinary or simplified naturalisation.
Help for interpretation: While the population with a migration background is less likely to have a national language as main language or as language spoken in the family setting, it is more likely to have a good command of two of Switzerland's national languages than the population without a migration background. Having a good command and regularly using one or more national languages is more marked among second or subsequent generations, than among the first generation.
