I am a U.S. citizen , i got a job and my employer is going to apply for my work permit and and so on , what are the odds to get the work permit and the auswise (-" green card" in english) not sure if spelld it right in deutche.
So will i be able to get a wrok permit being emplyed by swiss company , and how long will it take to get it ?, what is the waiting process?, and will i be able to get an appartment after i get my work permit ?
Anyone with any help or tips or ideas ....
thanks bizz

Mmm, unfortunately that's rather beyond the scope of this forum. However, if you have a look at the link below you will find out everything you need. It'll be worth reading through lots of older posts even if they don't seem 100% relevant, you will learn a lot.

Permits, apartments, and everything else

Been there done that. Best thing is to rely on the wealth of information on this forum. If you have a job offer from one of the large firms in Basel, getting a Permit should not be complicated as these companies have a lot of weight with the Canton. Most likely scenario is for you to get an L Permit (Temporary) which can only be renewed up to 24 months (after which you should be able to switch to a B Permit). If you don't have a job offer from one of the large Basel firms, your chances will be rather low.

In German the word is "Ausweis", and what you will be getting (if you get it) will certainly not be a Green Card; L/B Permits are sort of like the equivalent of US H1B Visas. The Green Card, otherwise known as the C Permit, only comes have 5 years uninterrupted residency for EU/EFTA, US and Canadian citizens (10 years for the rest, unless they apply via VINTA).

It highly depends on your employer and how influential they are with the government. If they have "pull", possibly a few months to get an "L". Kantons have quotas for different permits. I would assume B's are filled. If they are a small company, you will be lucky to get a permit. Or you might even have to wait until next year.

This portion is mostly on the shoulders of your employer. Is it a transfer from the US with the same company? Have you submitted all your forms and documents (criminal record, financial health/ debts)? From start to actually landing in CH, it could be a few months minimum. Are you in Basel now?

Before getting a permit, it will be impossible to get an apartment or anything else, unless it is in your company's name. If you get an L permit, it will not be simple to get an apartment, as many prefer B as a minimum.

I'm not sure where GBer got his info, but its *very important* that you separate the process for people who are on EU/UK passports, from the rest of us Non-EU.

For Non-EU you can read through this thread:

Non-EU Permits - a few bullet points.

It takes up to 3 months from the time that the employer puts in the application, to approval. If it's rejected that will probably happen sooner.

In 2008 there was a 'crisis' with a lack of quota permits, but I don't believe this has happened in 2011. So the issue is not whether there are quota places left, but simply if your employer can convince the authorities that you fit their requirements and they can't find anyone in the EU to do the job ahead of you...

Whether you get a B permit depends on whether you have a very high level job or not - more likely you will get an L for the first two years, and if your employer continues to demonstrate that they cannot find someone in the EU to do your job after that two year period, then the authorities will convert your permit to a B.

There are a million opinions and false pieces of information that people put on the internet (EF included) so please do go back and read everything that we have in our 'stickies' because that's your best info, and from there you can link to the official info from the swiss consulate general.

The general process is:
1. Apply for job
2. Be offered job
3. Sign contract, provide employer with requested documentation
4. Employer prepares application to authorities for work permit.
5. Employer *submits* application.
6. Up to 12 week wait between the date of submission, and approval.
7. Employer is notified that permission has been granted.
* simultaneously, the information is transmitted electronically from the migration authorities to the consulate general nominated in the work permit form, usually the one in your home country. In the USA there are several, and there's a specific list of which one you use depending on your state of residence.
8. Employer tells you that your work permit has been approved...if the employer doesn't tell you, the consulate general is supposed to track you down using the info in your work permit application and let you know it's been approved. It's quicker if you make friendly contact with the consulate general, tell them you have a work permission in progress, and give them your email, mobile phone, home details, and tell them to please contact you as soon as the permission is granted. Be friendly!
9. You fill out a 'D permit' form provided by the consulate general (available online) and make an appointment with the consulate genera to submit your form (usually quicker in person, although some will do it all by post).
10. They issue an entry visa with a 3 month window. You must enter Switzerland within the 3 month window.
11. Arrive in Switzerland, and register with the Gemeinde within 8 days. Fill out more forms, provide ID, provide an address where your official paperwork can be sent. The gemeinde makes an appointment at the immigration authority to take your photograph, fingerprints and signature electronically.
12. ID card arrives within a few weeks (we were told 4 but my husbands arrived in 1, rest of family in 2 weeks from submission). The ID card shows your status and whether you have an L or B, with work permission.

That's about it.

I recommend you specifically ask your employer the date when the application was submitted to the authorities. Also, if you have dependents, make sure theirs was submitted the same day, or if not, how far behind, because that is when the '12 week wait' begins...

This is a myth. In practice the authorities are harder on large companies than small ones .

Some great accurate information from swisspea. We unsuccessfully went through the process for a small company in Kanton Zurich. The candidate was very gifted but we couldnt sufficiently demonstrate the job could not be done by an EU citizen although in practice we had advertised the post for 6 months.

I think in our case the position was not senior enough.

Good luck with your application and fingers crossed for you.