Are you saying that posters here should only be concerned about things that directly affect them, but not friends or neighbours?

US B-1/B-2 visas, i.e. those that are issued to tourists or business travelers are valid for 10 years for Swiss citizens. Applying for a visa every ten years is really not such a big deal.

I wonder if the USA realises these criminal records are not written in the English language?

right, the swiss government did everything it had in its power to pay back to other countries, jewish etc.

Why should the Swiss Federal government pay back money it had never got ?
What "Jewish country" ? There was no such thing in 1933-45 !

I don't understand what problem anyone would have with giving the United States the appropriate resources it needs to keep Switzerland on the Visa Waiver Program. It's only benefits Switzerland, making short visits to meet business clients, see relatives, take a vacation, etc., much easier. For those who don't want to participate in the Visa Waiver Program, I say fine. Go through the bureaucracy and pony up the $$$ to get a visa like everyone in South America or Africa.

yes the swiss were extremely brave people helping all the needed in the world and being totally independent ... of course the Swiss refused also all the stolen Nazi gold, money and of course the $$$$ that the dictators, criminals and other people that needed to hide something put there... the good news is now that the EU surrounds them and the US and EU are fed up with them, so its a matter of time for Zwitserland to go deep on the knees and change the policy... usually parasites do not see how nasty they are and kill the ones they suck dead... I think most people on this English forum are actually Swiss trying to tell us all how great it is... well enjoy it without me

btw I was not referring to a Jewish country... Jewish war victims and countries in general... learn to read

Nobody in Switzerland wants to quit the "Visa Waiver Program". So that your basic approach is off-target. And it is not about "giving appropriate resources" but about handing over ALL police records about a person, and this simply is illegal. Beside the point that the USA will not do anything thelike about US-citizen on visit to anywhere in Europe. The USA in the past apparently already compromised with many other European countries, and Switzerland is absolutely ready to do so as well. But does not accept the "totalitarian" approach.

And do not exaggerate. In the past, everybody to visit the USA had to get a Visa from the Consular Service of the USA. When the Visa Waiver Program was started for Switzerland, the USA Consulate General in Zürich was closed, which was perceived as rather a DISadvantage. Once the USA drops (IF!) Switzerland from the program they have to re-open the CG in Zürich again.

And I have been to countries whose VISA did cost more than twice the USA Visa and the process took several weeks and involved lots of papers.

You wrote

right, the swiss government did everything it had in its power to pay back to other countries, jewish etc.

A) this means "Jewish country"
B) names like "jewish" in English start with a Capital letter (Jewish)
C) individuals of that religion are Jews (noun)

you of course can write about "Jewish people" but they are Jews

So, before asking people to learn to read, start to learn to write properly ---- thank you so very much indeed

If you want I can tell you some stories I was told by duch working college ,when they where in the "Waffen SS"

> extremely brave people ?? nobody in Switzerland between 1933 and 1945 wanted to be "extremely brave", people only wanted to survive, and not to become part of Nazi Germany

> totally independent ?? nobody in the centre of a continent was and is or will be "totally independent". Such a notion was NEVER proclaimed here

> stolen gold was accepted by various banks. The banks here were and are private companies and worked/work for the profits of their shareholders. This according to Mr Singer of the JWC is not a problem really

> dictators and criminals DID and DO hide their money in various places including Switzerland, for example on the Channel Islands which both, Jersey and Guernsey, are neither part of the United Kingdom nor of the E.U. but are under the British crown. Such people, you mention, in reality DID AND DO hide their money also in banks in London and Paris.

> some people in the E.U. and in the USA ? some of them want taxes they in fact indeed deserve ! some of them are hypocrites .....

> Switzerland WILL gradually amend the rules about banking in accordance with modern ways. The "bank secret" for example is a result of laws taken to guard the finance sector against demands of Nazi Germany. Bizarre that now, grandsons of former Nazi "grandes" are riding the moral horse

> parasites ? yes, Switzerland will have to act against such parasites who suck people here, instead of allowing them to do so, only to the benefit of their local accomplices

> you think most people on this forum are Swiss ? ever met EF members in reality ? quite obviously not !

Wolly ! You don`t have to defend switzerland ,to a-hole like the nut above

That's a bit harsh. I've read some of his previous posts and to me he seems one of this unfortunates who couldn't cope with working and living in Switzerland. No wonder the man is bitter as nobody admits failure easily. He may have showed some rather poor knowledge in history and geograpy but I think we should excuse him. Not everybody is tough enough to live here.

But if the points are not explained one by one, he will claim to have been right

Jobs for the bilinguals - nothing wrong with that.

Personally, I approve of there being a cooperative flow of information regarding criminal records between any, and all countries. If you have not got a record, what is the problem? If you have got one, well tough!

It is reported that the USA in case of some partners agreed only to get the "penalty-register-records". The difference is that minor sentences, for examples those of conditionally waived prison sentences, are deleted from these registers but not from the police registers

It however is reported also that the USA refuses to hand out either sort of records to other countries. So that the flow in question is just a oneway-road

He did not fail. He is now living somewhere else, with the same household income after taxes as in Switzerland but half the living costs. Hardly what I'd call failure.

Look here.

Thanks for that information. I definitely think that the info should be flowing freely in all directions. The one minor parking infringement I had fourteen years ago, shows up on my records. So far, that has not prohibited my travel anywhere.

That will probably depend on the price Switzerland has to pay to stay in the club...

The consulate is still there, it's just not doing visa applications anymore.