As an EU passport holder, i have been gainfully employed for 2+ years in switzerland by a swiss firm on local contract under a B permit (EG/EFTA). My permit does not expire until 2010. My work contract is not bound by a time limit.

Whilst still in full time employment, I am currently being recruited by a US based company that is planning on setting up a limited liability company as their european office based in Switzerland (zurich). Question: in order to change jobs would i have to reapply for a new B permit since my current b permit is linked to my current employer? Am i potentially putting my current B permit at risk? Can anyone offer their experiences of steps required to protect myself so i can easily transition from one employer to the next without threat to residency?, etc...

thanks, in advance!!

No, you are mistaken, your current permit is not tied to your employer - maybe it has your employer on it but only because you've had no reason to get it removed since the rules changed. Take it to your local town hall and ask them to remove the reference to the employer - it will cost you 20 to 30 CHFs or so. You can change employers without any worries.

Hiya, my B permit is also valid till 2010 and at the moment I am between jobs. Until now there has been no problem with the authorities (fingers x-ed), I've even changed Kanton! As far as I know my B permit allows me to look for work, and live, anywhere in Switzerland and is not tied to an employer. Hope this helps.

I suspected i would be all right with the Permit, especially with the rule change, but nice to get things confirmed by others! thanks for your responses!