I am a non-EU currently on my second year L permit, and my work has been trying to get me a B-permit. The initial submission to the authorities was made almost two months ago, but up until now I have not heard anything back and my L permit expires at the end of July.

I contacted my HR, she said that she had been trying to call them but she couldn't get through, that their phone system is just overloaded. In any case, I thought you guys might know more than my HR does

If by August when my L permit expires, and I have not heard anything from the immigration dept. does that mean I will have to leave Switzerland? Even though my B-permit is currently being processed?

I have plans to go overseas on the second week of August (bad timing I know) so to get back into the country, is there some official documentation I can ask for from the immigration dept. that I can show border security when I come back, in effect to say that my permit is being processed and pretty please let me back in?

Thanks.

Not sure exactly how it works but I was here and even flew back to the states while waiting on my B permit (I just had to show them the paperwork they gave me when I reg. for it at the airport.) Be sure to call them and follow up. I wait months for mine and then called when I started my job and they said they were soo sorry it must have been misplaces and they expedited it in 2 weeks Like I said I am not sure the official rule but I did indeed fly out of the country with just the waiting on B permit papers.

As far as I know, you can: All of my colleagues have done the same.

In this case, no news is good news. If you are required to leave you will receive a letter informing you of the fact and the timings.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. But what I am more concerned about is the fact that I am going overseas in early August for a couple of weeks, and I will need something from the immigration dept. saying that I can still come back into the country.

You can get that from your local town hall. Just ask.

You can absolutely stay while permit extn is being processed and if you have to visit to Schengen countires, please visit your Kanton offfice and request them to issue multiple entry schengen visa stamped.

- Cheers, Randy

I was concerned while in the very same situation. You can pay 12 CHF for a letter stating you have applied for a new permit and it is currently being processed. Pick up the letter at the permit place.

i am EU citizen, so there might be different rules for you.

When my L-permit expired and my B-permit was in processing, they gave me a photocopy of the L-permit, stamped it, and wrote on it, that they had the original, and it was in processing.

Doc.

Yes, I had the same thing happen for my second year of L-permit. The difference is, at that time the new permit was already granted and I was just waiting for the new physical permit (the plastic credit card). In my case now, I don't know whether I will get a B-permit or not by the time my L-permit will already have expired.

I guess I'm just going to go to the Gemeinde and ask if they can give me something to show at the border for when I come back in to the country, maybe they will ask me to hand in my old L-permit I don't know. And like swissbob said, no news is good news when it comes to hearing about whether I have the new B-permit or not.