Hi All,

My friend will be joining ALSTOM in Baden and they obtained a work permit (B) for him (NON-EU). Thereafter and as per the process, an authorization letter has been sent from the responsible Authority in Switzerland to the Swiss embassy in his home country to allow them issuing an entry visa to him to come to Switzerland on that basis.

This authorization letter is valid until End of March/2008 but unfortunately he will not be able to come to Switzerland by this date because currently he is still outside his home country and can not go there now to have the visa stamp on his passport (and also where he is currently working now there is no Swiss Embassy !).

Is there a possibility for this visa authorization letter to be extended ? If not, what should happen ?

Please can you advise ?

well if he wants to get his permit authorised, he's going to have to make some effort. Otherwise he'll miss the opportunity, I'm sure. And the employer and permit issuer will be most pleased to see his name again for another application, I'm double sure.

ALSTOM was responsible for all the visa process and after they had obtained the B-permit for him they sent him a copy of the authorization letter to him and informed him that the original is available now in the Swiss embassy at home country and requested him to go there and to have the visa stamp before End of March/2008.

The Swiss embassy at his home country informed him that this authorization letter can be transferred to another swiss embassy at another country (depending on Switzerland's apprvoal) but unfortunately there is no swiss Embassy at his current residence !

Can ALSTOM apply for extension of visa authorization ?

where is he? When will he come to Switzerland? Has he considered coming into Stuttgart, for example?

On the information you give, he can only help himself.

What is the closest country he can get to before the end of March that has a Swiss Embassy? There has to be one somewhere. Doesn't he have an agreement with Alstrom about when he needs to start work? Did he ask the Swiss Embassy closest to him or in his home country what his best course of action is?