Hello all!

I have been trying to figure out what my boyfriend and I should do.
I apologize if my questions seem like a repeat from other posts, but I was unable to find any posts pertaining to my specific question.

My boyfriend is an American and moved here in January for his job. They gave him a visa with his contract. I came here to be with him in June on a tourist visa (I am American also).
I want to stay here to be with him, but have been unable, despite many, many attempts, to get a visa through an employer.
My tourist visa will expire soon, and we unsure of what to do next. We have discussed getting married, and this is where my question lies. If we go back to the States to get married and apply for a marriage visa, how long would I need to expect to stay in the States before it is approved, and I am allowed back in the country?

We don't want to keep relying on a tourist visa for my ability to be here.

I would really appreciate any help anyone can offer, or any suggestions.
There were a lot of other posts about this topic, but none that I could find that were about two Americans in Switzerland, rather than one foreigner and one Swiss citizen.

Thanks in advance.

Non-EU Visa for Fiance' after marriage

also go down to the bottom of this page. Those are post that will contain some info

Spouse visa can take 6 - 12 weeks depending on various circumstances. Mine took about 8 weeks.

1. You are completely right to not want to stay on a tourist visa. If you repeatedly use tourist visas to be a de-facto resident, the Swiss authorities might not be impressed about it.

2. The "how long" question cannot be answered in one sentence: This is a matter of the immigration office, which is as pretty much every thing else here a cantonal thing instead of federal. My personal experience was that for example the Zurich Migrationsamt was far slower and less flexible than the one from Aargau.

So depending on the Canton your boyfriend lives in: I'd estimate 1-3 months. This is how long a change of the permit for my "then suddenly wife" took. One the one had was she already here, which should make things easier, on the other is she from the PRC, which is not that easy as the US...

Okay, thanks to everybody who has responded!

Big help

Hi

I didn't want to start a new thread just to ask this, and this one seems the prefect place to post my question. So it's not totally OFF, but doesn't directly reply the OP.

My husband (of two weeks ) came to work for one of the Geneva banks last October. Until the end of April I was traveling back and forth between Geneva and our native country (Hungary), finishing my studies, etc. In May I registered at the Immigration Office, as my 180/365 "tourist visa" was quickly running out and I wouldn't have been able to stay until the wedding. By that time we were registered at the Town Hall (Mairie/Etat Civil) for the civil ceremony, so I took that form as well to the Immigration Office.

Around two weeks later I received a letter from them asking me to send them after the wedding a copy of the marriage certificate and 2 passport photos, which I promptly did. That was almost two weeks ago. I'm not exactly nervous but I'd love to hear (read) what you guys think.

1. What's happening now? I thought sending them the remaining documents was the beginning of my visa application, but people got me skeptical.

2. When sending them the first pile of documents I explained (in some comments section or something similar) that I wanted to stay till the wedding and asked for permission to merely stay here. Is this a problem? The letter they sent me did not contain any more than the request. Should I apply again or contact them to state that I wish to stay and work?

3. I've read repeatedly that while an application is in process, one cannot leave the country. Well, we're going on honeymoon in less than 3 weeks. If this is really the beginning of my application, they should have informed me. I really can't cancel the trip now...

I'd appreciate any help or advice. I don't know many people here and most of the information I've received was more confusing than helpful.

flower

We can offer all the advice and knowledge that you could ever hear but the simple fact is that the only way for sure you will know what is happening is to call the immigration department and ask them.

If have nothing to hide, then it will work itself out albeit slowly sometimes.

Firstly, congratulations, Flower!

Second......we are in slightly the same situation so I'm keen to hear any answers......

I'll call them today to see what's going on and I'll keep updating.

I think you're fine, nothing to worry about and a bit of patience is all you need.

OK, guys, just to let you know, tout est bien!
I've called the OPC and the nice lady on the phone told me I was in their system and though they have lots of work to do and things are a bit slow, I'll get my 5 yr B permit in like 2 weeks. I didn't want to whistle in her ear so I hung up (a little too) quickly and danced around the room a couple of times. We'll see how long it actually takes but at the moment I'm quite content with my lot.

There you go, then

Yeah, I guess I'd read to many horror stories about how incompetent and slow people are at Immigration. Actually, in Geneva, it works pretty well. I was prepared for lengthy explanations but the lady spotted my "file" on her computer in no time and assured me that all was well. I guess they're just all to used to bankers' wives and the like

My husband and I were in the same situation four years ago when I was in Neuchatel on a B Permit (with an unlimited contract) and my boyfriend came to visit. While he was here, we got engaged and wanted to arrange things so he could stay. Given that he is fluent in (high) German, he had many many interviews, but nothing panned out in the end. This was partly because without a permit, no one could hire him, because while he was fluent in German, he didn't have any other skills that were "specialized" and made him the stand-out candidate above and beyond all Swiss/EU candidates. It also didn't work out because the timeframe during which he hoped to land a job was too small. Things here take time - it could take 6-9 months easily to secure a job. Several months after he left, I got a call for him from one of the companies he had interviewed with months before!

When we realized after 6 weeks or so that he couldn't get a job sans permit, we decided we would get married right away so that he could stay and then we would have our big wedding ceremony and reception with friends and family later in the US. We didn't end up doing that. In Neuchatel, getting married would have been a slow process. (What you have probably noticed by now is that most things are slow compared to the US way of "doing things yesterday"). But when I say it would have been slow in Neuchatel, I really mean it. In order to get married at the Hôtel de Ville, we would have had to apply first of all, and then, following approval of our application, the city required that a public notice be hung on the door of the Hôtel de Ville for 6 weeks before we could book an appointment to marry. This was in case anyone disputed our marriage and to make sure that we were a legitimate couple. Once that six weeks was over, we could book our wedding. And that likely would not have been the next day! So we were looking at a timeframe that would have surely exceeded my fiance's tourist visa at the time.

So, we went back to the States. He went the week before his tourist visa expired and I went when the school year was over and I had fulfilled my obligations as teacher for the year. My husband got his Montessori teaching credentials and M.Ed. and we got married at home, surrounded by family and friends. We enjoyed a few years at home as newlyweds and then got jobs here in Switzerland and moved back just one week ago. But it was scary waiting for our permits to be approved. It took two whole months! No slam dunk by any means!

The way the Swiss authorities see it is like this: If you are from outside the EU here is what you need: 1). A Highly Specialized Skill 2). Education - Masters Degree or higher 3). Language Fluency in one of Switzerland's four official languages. Do you have any or all of these things? If you don't, then it's unlikely you're going to get a Permit on your own. The reason is, Switzerland must prove that neither any Swiss resident, nor any EU resident can perform the job to the level you can.

Go to the Gemeinde with your boyfriend, explain your situation and find out where you stand. You might not be granted permission to work, but maybe you can get a permit to stay while he is here and not have to be apart.

Don't overstay your tourist visa without permission! Follow the rules and be honest and see what you can work out. Good luck!!