Particularly in Geneva, a French-speaking canton, the Haitian community is made up of health professionals, artists, technicians, laborers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, employed students, diplomats and the involvement of local politics, and international civil servants.
[4][3] The small population of Haitians and their descendants have maintained a positive reputation in the country, excelling notably in several fields such as non-governmental organizations, hospitality and the medical sector.
[1] The initial wave of emigration came in 1957, when Haitian nationals many of whom were among the intellectual elite or middle class were either exiled or sought to seek political asylum from Papa Doc, who became President of Haiti.
[4][3] In 2009, the number of Haitians in Switzerland was estimated to be around 1,500 people, which included 500 with a valid residence permit, 800 naturalization cases since 1981, 180 adopted children (since 1980), 37 international civil servants and roughly 100 without legal status.
[3] In 2018, according to a representative of the permanent mission of Haiti to the UN, Pierre André Dunbar, the number of Haitians and their descendants has risen to 4,000.