Hi Everyone,

I have searched the forum for nearly 2 hours so don't think this has been covered but please feel free to move this post to another thread if it has.

I arrived here in Zurich in May with my husband (who is a non-EU postdoc with a short-term project-related permit B) as his non-EU dependent spouse. I therefore was issued a residence permit B with no authorisation to work. I have been lucky to find a job and my employer applied for work authorisation and said they received it (it took about 3 weeks) and I started working there at the beginning of November. I have asked whether I needed to do anything for the work permit (notify any local authorities etc) to which the HR responded 'no it is all fine'. I still have my original permit B which states I am here just for my husband and can't help but wonder if I should be receiving a new one with my employers name on it etc like my husband's does?

Does anyone know if in changing from a dependent spouse permit-B holder to a permit-B holder (I am assuming this is what I still am) with work authorisation and an open-ended contract I should be notifying anyone or doing anything in particular?

Thanks for your help,

Melissa

I am in similar situation. Have you gathered any info on this thread.

Regards
Rohini

Your Permit B stated that you have no recourse to work. I would go down to the local Kommune office with all documents and make sure everything is above board and kosher. If things are not fine and the authorities find out ( as they normally do - especially when it comes to paying taxes ), things could get interesting.

This sounds very wrong. If you have not received any official communication but are simply going on hearsay from the HR department then you should be concerned. Ask your HR department for a copy of the confirmation that your permit is in order.

Sorry about your situation. I am another Aussie that found it difficult to get permission to work here. My permit said accompanying my spouse, without work

Your potential employer just needs to fill in a form to get permission for you to work. Your salary will be checked that it is okay for your job title and the job must be advertised with no suitable Swiss candidates or EU candidates. For many firms that haven't done this before it seems like too much paperwork.

I also heard that a firm must also have a certain percent age of C and Swiss employees, so they may not be able to hire you with a B Permit.

Please look at this thread. Non EU bullet points

We received our official B permit cards. I came as a dependent to my husband in Switzerland however the B permit cards for both of us are exactly same mentioning "avec activite" - I was told that this is an authorization to work. Can someone help me to know how to find out from the permit if one can work or not?

Yes, you have thr right to gainful employment - your employer must still do the necessary paperwork but since 01.01.2008 this is a formality for people in your situation.

Congrats for getting your new job !
I think you need to update your visa status by visiting your local cantonal office.

Hi, Congrates for new job ! It was same case me in last year, but from 1.1.2008, dependant B permit holders can work without seperate work authorisation.

Thats definitely a good news.

hi,
I read your post recently. I too had a doubt about my situation when the HR dept in the new company I joined recently said that they do not have to file any additional paper work - namely a form M2. She apparently spoke to the cantonal office and confirmed that I now have the permit to work (which wa kind of a surprise). I have been here in Geneva for almost 2 years and am a US citizen with a dependent B residence permit. The first time I applied for a job (in 2007), the company had to file for M2 and wait for about 3-4 weeks for thr permit in order for me to start my job. So, reading your messages is a relief in a way that I now know the rules have changed and is in effect. Thanks for the posts