Hi all,

I am very new to this forum. I have been reading a while various threads and really impressed by the response people have given and shared their experience.

I am working in Zurich for the past 30 months on a closed B permit. Now i would like to change my employer but unfortunately realized that since my B permit is tied to the employer/project i cannot change my job. Can someone please advice me on how to open my closed B permit.

I am a Non EU.

Thanks.
GoforIt.

As I understand it:

As a non-EU, you cannot have an open B permit. It is linked to your employer. If you change employer, your new employer must apply for a new B permit for you.

not really the case. Non EU do get open B permit with which they can freely change their employers. If a Non EU always gets a closed B permit then there wont be any change of employement possible for Non Eus.

How do you know this? Why not find out how to convert to open from the same source?

They will if their new employer applies for, and gets, a B permit for them.

Now, the situation may well have changed (2008?), but when I first arrived in CH, B-permit was linked to employer. If your permit is restricted to employer, then I would guess that your only recourse is to find an employer who will apply for an unrestricted permit.

hello,

I am really confused since my current closed B permit says that i cannot change jobs and hence its very difficult or close to NO in finding an employer who will apply for a unrestricted permit. How did your linked permit got open.
Appreciate further response.

thanks

You wouldn't be confused if you had read this: Non-EU Permits a few bullet points.

Specifically:

Changing a job or place of work

Since the 1st of Jan. 2008 foreign nationals who hold an annual work permit (B Permit) must no longer obtain permission to change job, profession or canton and to change from employment to self-employment. Note this applies only to permits delivered for long-term contracts, not to short-duration or job-specific (i.e. project) permits. Legal base Art. 38 AuG / LEtr

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the information,. Actually i had already read the bullet point so does it mean that if i have a closed B permit which is not a unlimited B permit then there is no way or possibilty to change job.

Or there is a possibility somehow????

Thanks.

If by "closed" you mean a permit for short-duration or job-specific (i.e. project) role then normally no.

The only possible exception is if the project ends or the company folds and the employer provides a letter explaining the circumstances and extolling your virtues and the new employer is willing to fight tooth and nail to get you. Getting this exception is as rare as rocking horse manure.

I'm an EU citizen and the law changed in 2002.

Hello Swissbob,

i once again read the bullet points for Non EU B permit. I too have the description B PERMIT (Ausländerausweis)(Aufenthaltbewilligung mit Erwerbstätigkeit) on my creditcard sized B Permit and not the Kurzaufenthaltung for the short duration. But still my work permit is project specific which doesnt allows me to change my Permit.

So my B permit is Long term or short term one.?????

thanks

Dear Swiss Job,
Getting an exception was really difficult.The above hint really helped me.Thx a Ton !!!!.

I had a 48 month restricted permit (which I would have never accepted had I known at the time) which was converted to a "Free" B last year. I have no idea how this took place, or what tooths, nails, droppings, accompanied it. All I know is that it is possible - for a US national at least...

The changes that allowed change of employer for non-EU B permit holders only became effective in 2008. It is feasible that when you go your permit there was no other option.

One of my husband's friend had this CLOSED B permit. When he got a new job, the canton asked for a letter from the current employer stating that he completed his current project and they are ready to release him for other job openings. It worked.

Note: The job change was within the same canton. No idea, what will be required if the canton itself is changed.

Hi

I'm no-eu since 2.5 years in switzerland. I had originally a L permit for 4 months and later I got a B permit which has been renewed once a year since then. I come sponsored by my current employer, but recently I got a very good job offer, my question is, can I change the work? Must I inform the authorities or something like this?

So my permit has an annotation: "Mit Erwerbstätigkeit" in the front, and in the back: "Selbst Erwerbstätigkeit ist bewilligungspflichtig", and it is still valid for 1 year.

Also when I come to receive my first L permit I had received a letter from the authorities witch was saying that I only could work for 4 months and no extension was possible, then I left the country and come back to receive the B permit, that time I got a letter that the work as authorized for 1 year and could be extended to 2, also with no extensions. an then recently before have my permit renewed I got a new letter where had no more limit to end the work permit, but it still had the name of my employer. Would this mean that I have a no limited work permit?

Thanks a lot for the advices

First, you can forget about the 4 month L permit as it has no relevance to the question.

On your B permit there is a big clue in that you could change to self employed with the permission of the authorities. This is not allowed in a project related work permit. Therefore, you can change employer. You and your employer must inform the authorities. Your new employer must apply for your new permit.

Hello GoForit,
What happened then, were you successful in getting the closed permit to be open one?
Share the experience please!!!

Hello,

Sorry for the late response. Unfortunately my work contract with current employer has come to an end. So i applied for cancellation of restrictions on my B permit which will convert it to be a open B permit. It was rejected since there is no new employer who is ready to sponsor a permit for me.

Thanks
GoForIt.