A friend of mine who is British and has a B permit (got it through a job) is considering leaving Switzerland to travel around the world for over a year and thus will loose his B permit. If he finds a new job in Zurich a year from now, how difficult will it be for him to get B permit again? Do they still give out those L permits when they do not have enough 5 year B permits? Thanks

Hi there, me again...thanks for all the advice so far it's really helpful. However, I have a new conundrum that's just complicated issues and I'm wondering if anyone can help?

So I've been here in Switz for about two weeks (of my 3 months' allowance as a tourist) and I have been offered a temp job which might last around a month. The agency will give me a "contract" for three. So, as I understand it, my 3 months' of work permit time starts now.

My question is, what happens if I can't find permanent work in the two months after this temp position finishes? Am I a) boosted out of Switzerland or b) can I go out of the country, come back in and start afresh on the 3-month tourist rules

As an aside, am I expected to pay taxes in the other two-months of visa time even if I'm not working? Thanks

Hi!

I have just read this thread, really helpfull!!! I am sure there are some particular cases but in general, it did answer all of my questions!!! I will be moving to Switzerland to look for a job soon, and i am an EU-17 citizen, so there are not too many problems, but there are always unclear things!!

Thanks to all!

Hi all!

Few questions about the quotas related to EU-8:
1) I seem to remember from somewhere that the quotas are renewed in May - is that right? Based on this, I believe, I have the smallest chance currently of getting a B permit? (If starting process early March, planning to start work from May 1)
Old quota likely to have run out, new quota not yet effective


2) How many different quotas are there? I would think separate for non EU and EU-8(10); or is it one big quota for all?

BTW, I realize this topic is mainly about the EU-17 B permits, nevertheless I couldn't find a topic about the EU-8(10) permits.

Thanks for your help in advance

Hi everyone - thanks for the wealth of information on this thread.
I have some 'practical' questions ( we are both EU-17 citizens) :
1. I will have a B permit and I know my spouse should automatically qualify for a work permit but:
A. will he automatically get one at the same time as I do
or:
B. have we got to make some new application after I receive mine?
C. If he decides to come about 6 months later - should he apply at the time I have mine or only whan he comes over?
How to handle this - I could not see any info here?

I believe I also need the Residence permit in place by (work permit is needed prior to obtaining that) as otherwise I don't believe we will be allowed to make a commitment to rent any property.

Please help - thanks!!!

Yes, if he moves here at the same time as you in which case you file together...




One cannot apply in advance.



You do not need a work permit. A residence permit is delivered automatically upon showing a work contract.

One quota for non-EU countries, and individual quotas for each of the EU-10.

Thanks so much for all this information, I've just read through the posts and it's really useful. Can someone just please confirm that I have this right please?

I have a UK passport and have been offered a job in Lausanne. All I need to do is register at the cantonial office within 8 days of arrival with my job offer and a copy of my passport to automatically get a residence permit. I don't need HR to get me a work permit etc. I can just do this myself when I arrive. Is it really that easy??

If you had really read through the thread your questions wouldn't be necessary .

It really is that easy.

Honestly, I did Swissbob! I just couldn't quite believe it so thought I must have missed something. Lucky me, so excited to move to Lausanne. Must buy more flat shoes to cope with hilly terrain...

Hi everyone, this is my first post and I just wanted to use this opportunity to introduce myself.
Hi Shorrick, thanks for this wonderful thread as it gave me a lot of answers to what I have been searching for on the net. Can you or anyone please just shed a bit of light on this.
I am a UK citizen, currently living in the UK, I plan to move to Switzerland(I'm thinking Zurich) in about a month. My wife (got married Dec 2008)is Nigerian and she lives in Nigeria, can you tell me what documents will she be required to present to the swiss embassy in Nigeria for her to get a travel permit(I dont know what kind of visa she has to apply for) to come join me here. Also are the authorities more concrned about having a high paying professional job to be able to prove that I can support her and our daughter (she is 3 an she is British as well) or is it aout having a steady source of income.
I hope this isnt too much, any help will you can will be much appreciated. Thanks

As a UK citizen you have the right to come and work in Switzerland - all you need is a job. You also have the right to have your wife and daughter accompany you. For the exact document requirements contact the Swiss embassy in Nigeria but birth certificate, passport and marriage certificate are obvious as (probably) is birth certificate of your daughter.

One thing, you are going to be asked why you aren't living together at the moment - the Swiss do like married couple to cohabit . If there is any immigration reason your wife could not join you in the UK, then it is possible that this will also apply to Switzerland.

Thanks Swissbob for the tip. So if my wife has an immigration situation in one European country does that mean legally she wont be allowed into another? But I didnt want to make an application to the UK, cos I know I will soon be moving to Switzerland, where I will have to make another application for her to join me there. and these applications, I dont think they come cheap. So is this goin to be a stumbling block for our application? Thanks

Ladies, Gentlemen,

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster. name is Raoul. So i've read through this thread and found a plethora of information, all very helpful, but I do have some additional queries.

So. I am French, just moved to Zurich and started working with a big Swiss financial services company. I am currently on an L permit, as my current contract is for 6 months. I am assured that I will be given a permanent contract in January as things open up. So I am fine, and will apply for my B permit as my future contract will allow for it.

My question lies here. I have a girlfriend, a US national, who is in France as I write and studying for her master's degree and so has residency in France until September. While I want her to come live with me here as soon as she finishes her thesis, I am aware that it will be difficult for her to find a job and receive a residency permit.

Now I am head over heals for this girl and we do plan on getting married in the future, but I want to propose on my own terms and not with regards to the Swiss Immigration laws.

Is there anyway we could sign up for a registered partnership whereby she gets the equivalent residency permit as I do. I can write her a letter claiming that I will be financially responsible for her etc.

The idea is to get her here legally so that we can live together without worry of being illegal. The issue of her finding employment can be handled at a later date.

Any info would be great. Thank you so much for your help already and anymore that comes down the line.

cheers,

R

Firstly, let me thank you for this excellent thread, it is really very helpful.

However, I find myself in the situation where I need specific advice.

I hold an EU passport with a B permit valid until 2012. My family also hold B permits valid until 2012 but hold Australian passports. We have lived here (and I worked here) for 3 years. Recently my job (for an international company) transfered me to another country. I therefore planned to work outside Switzerland during the week and commute back on weekends, leaving the family here to complete schooling etc.

The research on the forums and advice from our local Kantonal Gemeinder suggested this was no problem , I also sought tax advice on any complications and had this clarified as well.

However, I was told by my Swiss employer last week that it is not possible for my family to remain in Switzerland and they have an obligation to notify the authorities that I am no longer working in Switzerland and that my family will be deported in a matter of weeks.

Given the dramatic ramifications of what the company is saying, can you recommend or advise the appropriate professional/government body I should approach to obtain clarification.


Thank you

Hi,

On the website quoted it says:

Family members of nationals of EC/EFTA member states who originate from third countries are only able to invoke the right to family reunion according to the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons if they have already been permanently resident in an EU/EFTA country prior to their application. If this is not the case, the issue of a permit is governed by national law.

Does this have any implications? Doesn't this imply that non-eu spouses are not automatically allowed to come?

Thanks

ie. does the spouse have to be permanent resident in an EU country? If so then please add this information to the bullet points as it is pretty crucial..

"Family members of nationals of EC/EFTA member states who originate from third countries are only able to invoke the right to family reunion according to the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons if they have already been permanently resident in an EU/EFTA country prior to their application. If this is not the case, the issue of a permit is governed by national law."

I am not qualified to reply authoritatively on Swiss law (I am Swiss, but qualified elsewhere). That said, I have a doctorate in European Union law. And as always, you should NOT rely on the English translation of a Swiss law or rule, however fluent the English seems to be. Always go to the official versions (and sometimes, rarely, you need to compare those. To see what I am talking about, here's an EU case on official mistranslation: http://bit.ly/195BRz

What the Home Office documentation on the Switzerland-EU treaties says is this: a Swiss person (me, for example) cannot by right bring my dependent sister-in-law to Britain to live. Neither can my wife, who is British and so could not claim EU rights unless she lives in another EU/EEA/Swiss country for six months. But if my British wife and I bring her to, say, France and lives there with her for six months, then she will qualify (under the "Surinder Singh" case's holding) as an EU person (albeit a third-country national).

So: this does not concern members of an immediate family: spouse (or, where applicable, civil partner), child or adopted child. It concerns ascendant and collateral relatives, dependants. And under EU law member states are required to consider "sympathetically" applications for migration (family "reunification") of such persons.

Hope that helps.

Absolutely. Thanks very much for this information, much appreciated...

*cough* yes it does, and it means exactly what it says - for family reunification to be granted the spouse needs to be resident in the EU. Else the family reunification is governed by the prescriptions of the Aliens Law (Auslaender Gesetz, AuG). See Federal Tribunal sentence 2A.475/2004 which is current jurisprudence.