In my experience, Americans tend to be very gracious and polite people.

Of course, there are always exceptions...

Interesting that you should respond to perceived 'xenophobia' with, erm, more xenophobia.

Well done.

Gee this is almost as hard as for me to work in the US of A !

hi Firechick, I think you may as well pack it in - don't think you're going to get many helpful answers here after insulting several of the more knowledgeable members of this forum by being unnecessarily obstinate and bloody-minded. Which is a shame as it seems they were prepared to help you. Good luck with your work and permit situation, though for the record I hope for your sake that your future employer isn't reading this.

sheesh you can talk seriously you are not endearing yourself to the members very much, people have replied trying to help and you are just shooting them down as it's not what you want to hear

Maybe if you wrote shorter posts, short snappy bullet points - then people may be more inclined to read - as it is your post has just been reported to the mods for rude behaviour - I came onto this thread to check it out - but I am confronted with an essay - skim reading it however I think you should be a bit more gracious to the people who have tried (even if they have failed) to help you

Looking forward to groan number 2 from you

Cool it with the insults and attacks, or find yourself on vacation.

A friend of mine from the US wanted to set up a GmbH in Luzern with a Swiss business partner. He got all the permissions he needed from Luzern, and the application went off to Bern. Where it was rejected with, and I kid ye not, the comment "We already have too many Americans here".

And he's a very personable, non-abrasive person.

In the USA they have quotas ,maybe it`s the same in Switzerland.If it the case it would be the proper answer

It wasn't a quota issue. The quotas had not been filled.

This is unfortunate. I know we've pissed a lot of people off in the past few years with some foolish international behavior, but I would have hoped a bureaucracy with an advanced appreciation for rules wouldn't do such a thing. For some very selfish reasons, I can only hope this wasn't the truth.

Also, sorry to all the Brits out there for the ugly behavior of the OP - not proper American conduct.

First, I don't know the answer to your questions, so if you find reading responses that aren't 100% helpful so annoying, please stop reading now.

I've been reading this forum quite a lot, being in a pickle myself. I've had to realize that every singly case is special when it comes to permits in CH. The experience anyone else can have will never answer your questions 100% because there are no straightforward regulations based on which the authorities decide applications. The answer they give one person will not be the same they'd give to you. I suggest contacting them directly, although you don't seem to like the idea, I don't quite know why.

I know it's a really comfortable option to post queries here and wait for replies (and then not like them...). I've tried it a couple of times but I've had to see that in a country like CH this is no way to go. It just doesn't work. No one will be able to link you a site with all the regulations because there isn't any. And personal experience can be misleading because every case is different in its details. If you can find someone with the exact same history, even then the authorities might give the two of you different responses...

When I had to come to CH first, I was constantly offended when people answered my questions by giving me lectures on how impossible it was for humble people like me to settle here. Or when they told me how "unwanted" I was in CH. But let's face it, it's all true I guess people here are so sour about work and permits and stuff like that because they've had a hard time themselves. The less people getting permits the more superior they feel. But nonetheless, I didn't groan at them for these pieces of advice. I thanked them for their kind replies and kept looking for information...

wow, glad I read this thread. It probably supports any anti-American sentiment that Swiss government officials have!

Which is a shame....yes, the nation really has been on the defensive due to the issues with banks and the IRS. Blame can be spread around nicely - but if its nationals and green-card-toting folk clearly believe, dual taxation is unfair.

It seems from your further postings that you are in no way prepared to compromise to make this work....I'm sure you could actually rent a room in Geneva and live there *sometimes*. Yes, not perfect but live's a bitch and then you die.

Nice thread. Started reading it with the idea to help if somebody didn't give the answer, but well, now that I ended the reading....


I prefer to spend my time drinking a cup of tea....

A fine pastime.... good to see you back

In Sault Ste. Marie I was told by a US Borderguard " Down here you have no rights" I didn't take her to seriously

We have a lot in common, I am American, my wife is French and we live in the Haute Savoie. I am studying computer science and hope to finish in Geneva. We are in the mountains near La Clusaz at the moment but plan on moving to the border and getting jobs in Geneva.

I had no idea that we have a different frontalier zone then EU citizens. I was told I couldn't even get a type G at the Salon des Frontaliers in Annemasse the other day, I didn't buy it because the wording on the law says residents, not citizens. I know in Thônes and Annecy and all the way up to Grand Bornand + La Clusaz are considered frontalier. They expanded it when they added the freeway.

It seams you are saying that we have a different zone then the rest of EU citizens? I will be heading down to Geneva next week to speak to the permit office if possible because I would like to get a permit before finding a job. I am still a student and I can not prove that I have skills no Swiss has. But from what I understand you don't need to for work inside the frontalier zones. I'll post here what they tell me newt week.

I think "different" is the wrong word. The point is the frontalier zones were abolished for EU-17/EFTA citizens. They can live anywhere in the EU/EFTA region and work anywhere in Switzerland. Border zones remain for non EU citizens and EU-8/EU-2 citizens.

I didn't know they abolished the frontalier zones, they spoke about Annecy/Aravis being the limit at the Salon des Frontaliers. We have just started looking in to the situation. I am not looking for a high end job so I can work in France on the border, if my French wife gets a Geneva job. With my G.I. bill we can make it work and I can wait out the 6 months or start looking when I get a student permit. Ether way I'm going myself to the permits office and speaking with a rep to find out what my options are. I find people are more helpful in person.

I am doing my degree by associates by an online university; It be better if I start this fall in Geneva and get the student permit.