Hi,

Is there a possibility of changing job on B Permit ? If yes can it be outside the current canton who has issued the permit ? I am a non-EU national so i guess there will be different rules ?

Thx.

As far as my memory allows...

To apply for a new job, the officials check if there are any qualifed Swiss or C permit holders that are currently jobless and drawing unemployment.

B Permits are issued per Canton. If you change Canton, you must reapply with the new Canton with a sponsoring employer.

Basically, it is not much different when changing jobs within the same Canton. The new employer may be contacted to see if they have interviewed any Swiss or C holders.

If I am incorrect, then corrections gladly accepted -- it has been a few years since I have seen the yellow form to change jobs!

Good luck, it may be most beneficial to others if you post your experiences here in the forum.

Bests from the East side
Scott

Just to add to what Scott says, all B's are not created equal. There is the B/EFTA for EU citizens (normally valid for 5 years), and there are garden-variety Bs (valid 1 or 2 years) for those from outer space. The B/EFTA is almost a probationary C. Therefore normal B holders can be more heavily discriminated against (and its not just because we have green skin).

I think actually to answer the question posed, Yes it is possible to change jobs on a non-EU B permit and to change Cantons in the process. HOWEVER be careful. Firstly you need to be very careful. You have not stated the reason why you want to change jobs which is most important. As a normal B permit holder you still have certain rights but these can very quickly disappear. So in order to fairly answer your question it is important to know:

1. Why you want to change jobs?
2. What your current status of employment is?
3. Which is your target canton?
4. Have you got a potential job there?
5. What is this job? - this makes a huge differene
6. Are your potential employers aware of your permit?

Or is this all hypothetical at the moment. As you can see in order to give you a fair answer it is almost as difficult as actually going there and applying yourself - the information requirement is similar...

Before they brought out the EC-EFTA 'B' Permits I changed employer on the old 1-year B, so it can be done.

As far as I remember, you can make one change of employer on the permit (notifying the authorities of course) before having to reapply. Check it out first though, as my employers handled things.

As pointed out by Litespeed, the new EC B permits are practically like C permits which is great if you're from the European Union but bad news for everyone else as it has squeezed availability.


Gav

Hi there, I hold a B permit and I'm not from an EU country. I've had no problems changing jobs and moving homes from one canton to the next. Never had to reapply for any permits, the only thing I had to do was register and de-register at the Gemeindes. I was told by a recruitment agent that most B-permits are transferably after two years. But it's best to get one to check for you, they just need your number. It's certainly possible. I've never had any questions asked. ~ Nanda.

Sounds like you've had a pretty easy run. I changed jobs in 2001 before non-EU people had a tougher time (I do have an EU passport though). It wasn't easy, and I pointed out to the person responsible that the company I had worked for had gone bankrupt. The reality was that I had resigned a couple of months before that, but I didn't stress that point. In my case it was granted. The new job was also in canton Zurich.

To the original poster - I'm moving this thread to Help & Tips. Since you asked a direct question asking for help - this would seem like the most logical place where it belongs.

I also come from a non-EU country. The company I was working for was localted in Thurgau, this company left to Germany, as I decided to stay in Switzerland, my employment contract was cancelled upon agreement. Later on I found a job in Zürich, it was no problem to stay in Kanton Thurgau while working in Kanton Zürich. About 2 weeks ago we moved to Wallisellen (Kanton Zürich), we did the abmelden (de-registetration) in the gemeinde of Kreuzlingen and the anmelden (registration) in Wallisellen, it was very straight forward, just fill up some forms, copy of the contract of the apartment, copy of passports and our B-Permits. Funny though, was that they didn't ask for my employment contract, I guess it was because on my B-Permite from Thurgau it already stated my new employer. At the Gemeinde they said it will take maximum 3 months (because of Kanton change). Till now I dont even know if they have contacted my employers for asking a confirmation of contract.

All I can say is that in my experience it has been very straight forward.

The only risk you have here, is that you dont pass the probation period. In my case Kreuzlingen to Zürich was 1 hour drive, first I made sure I was secure on my new job and then I moved. If possible, I suggest you do the same.

Greetings

... one thing that comes to mind after all those years of renewing my B permit, including the job changes which required a new form...

...is, the fact that, each time I signed that yellow form there was no doubt in my mind that an invoice and payment slip would soon follow!

With the C permit the invoice follows like stink on shit, but not as often

Either way, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on this planet.

justmy2cents

Just sharing my experience ...

I came for the second time to Switzerland in March 2007.
I came under a B work permit.
I am a US citizen.
I work and live in the canton of Zug.

In January 2008, I accepted a job from another company in the canton of Zurich.

They submitted a form to change jobs on my behalf early February.

Three weeks later they contacted me telling me they were advised that I do not need a new work permit and that I could use my current work permit which is expiring in February 2009.

I will retain my residence in the canton of Zug.

The new employer is about to mail me back my current work permit. I yet have to ask them if they changed the name of employee and address of employee on the work permit or I need to do so or I can keep the work permit as is.

I am also not sure what I need to do, if anything, with the canton of Zug to remain a resident here.

The process was as smooth as possible. It may be related to the new legislation enacted 1/1/2008 that allows non-EU B permits to change jobs/cantons more easily. Not sure and would defer to the experts on this board.

I frankly did not worry much about the process: I submitted my resignation to the current employer before I got feedback on work permit change/move to Zurich from Zug.

My last day at the current employer is May 1.

Hi SwissLH, I am curious about the new legislation you mentioned. I am also a US citizen and may need to look for a new employer soon. I am based in Zürich and would like to confirm the ability to transfer it and what needs to be done in advance to comply with the usual norms. Can you post a link?

Thanks,
Valve.

All you need to do is have your new employer submit your file to the canton where you will be working and it will be sent back with a note stating that you need not apply for a new work permit as long as the current one is valid and that you can start your new employment as soon as you wish to.

The trick is to ensure you have your current permit valid for as long as possible and then all youw ill need is renew it once it expires but this time with the new employer.

I must admit, had I read this board before changing jobs, I would have needlessly worried as the procedure is the simplest I have gone through.

Yes, note however that prior to 1.1.08 the procedure wasn't exactly simple... Also note that the type permit you hold still influences the process. It is certainly easy for long-term B's but definitely not so for project-linked Bs and Ls (which were the ones mainly discussed here by the way).

Thanks for the quick reply. Good to know its a reasonable exchange. I am still interested in reading the legislation. I will see if I can dig out a link and will post it back if it exists.

-Valve

I would disagree here Shorrick.

I hold a Non-EU, Project Related B and I was afraid its going to be impossible to change the job while retaining the permit. However, my new Employer was kind enough to make an enquiry in Kanton Luzern (Thats where the new job is). Actually he applied for new Permit for me but the kanton Luzern Authorities replied saying I dont need a new permit. They sent a letter saying I DO NOT need permission to change the job or change the kanton since the new law from 01.01.2008.

I was still a bit skeptical. So I asked my new Employer to call and ask in the Zurich Migration Office since my permit is from Zurich. They took some time but eventually they confirmed the same thing mentioned by the Kanton Luzern Authorities.

I am not sure if this was a lucky break. But from the paper the Luzern Authorities sent me and from the talk with the Zurich Migration Office, I think now it does not matter if the Non-EU B is Project related or not. Just that its a B.

Also when i come to think about it, the idea behind the new law is to make sure that the movement for non-EU highly-skilled persons already inside Switzerland is made easier. And now that they have broadened the scope of the Permit from Kanton-Wide to Swiss-Wide, I would tend to think this would make sense. And also since this new law was specifically for Non-EU, I would say things for us have improved a bit <touchwood> .

Thats from my personal experience. Others should verify before taking any steps to be on the safe side.

You may disagree however you may also read article 38 of the AuG which says very explicitly:

So all in all it may well be a case of the authorities not having read the law through properly.

My next test is to find out if my spouse can get a job given we are told that she now can work as the spoude of a B-permit since 1.1.08.
I presume most employers will not be familiar with the changes.
We were advised to state to the employer that she has the right to work and that it is just a matter of submitting her current residence permit [ linked to a B-work permit of the spouse ] and that said canton would issue the B-work permit.

Guys, I do not claim to have any expertise about the fine details in the swiss system. I am just sharing my experiences for whatever they are worth. Suffice to say that the Swiss have moved the bar in the right direction in terms of keeping/retaining highly skilled/educated/tax paying/law abiding non-EU foreigners. I am fine with whathever way they go: if I am not welcome, there is still the good old US of A. The most important detail for us is ensuring good and consistent schooling for the kids and not feel like we could be deported at any time with all the impact on the kids. It becomes all the more relevant when a kid is born in Switzerland.

Including a copy of the relevant law article with the application works wonders in this case.

Maybe it is so. Thats quite possible as well. I was thinking the same as well.

However, as I said...maybe its possible I caught a lucky break.

Anyways, I have a letter with my name and details on it which explicitly says I can change the job and kanton.

And about the Article 22 and 23, they mention the same details about highly skilled, really needed skills, not available in the Local Market etc...
I think I do fall into that category...Also, I add again, the answer was not based on a generalisation, they specifically checked my case and then replied in affirmative.