I have a probem with finding anywhere where I could get some good info or advice about immigrating to CH.

I am from a non-EU European country and my boyfriend works in Switzerland which is why I want to spend more than the tourist 180 days per year there.

I have been to the Swiss embassy in my own country and to the l'office cantonal de la population in Geneva to ask some questions but they always manage to get rid of me without really giving me any useful info.

All I have heard so far is that I have no "basis" and no right for staying in Switzerland any longer that the touristic 180 days.

Thing is:
-I am not a criminal
-I am not looking for a job
-I am willing to pay tax, insurance or whatever is needed
-I just want to stay in CH for around 8 months per year with my boyfriend and spend my money in CH

They should practically hand me a residency permit immediately

Is there anywhere or anyone I can turn to for real genuine advice and settle this legally?

The best way would be to have your boyfriend apply for a permit and enroll you into a language school full time. This way you can stay over the normal time that a tourist has. I did this (granted 11 years ago) and had a L permit. Also to renew the permit, we had to submit test results and payment slips from the school to prove that I was attending and learning. Good luck!

What do you mean when you say you will pay "tax?" If you aren't employed, how would this work exactly? Please also remember that if you live here for eight months, you are still reaping the many benefits of Switzerland that are supported by taxpayers.

I'm sorry I can't offer any concrete advice. All the best though. I can def empathize with the difficulties of being apart from your partner. =)

Hi Klinka- I too am sorry that you are away from your partner.
Fact is, you have been given the correct advice- the law says that you can't stay for longer- unless you enroll full time in a language school.

I really feel for you. When I met my partner in the UK, I was on a 6 months work permit - and there was no way we could be together. I went home to Switzerland, but he came to woe me back - the only way possible. We've been married for just over 40 years now.

Hi,

My understanding is that the information you have been given is correct. Switzerland has immigration laws, the same as any other country, and coming to live here as you describe... unless you are REALLY wealthy, or want to retire here (and have a lot of savings) and even then you have to apply for a permit and go through a long process!

As others have said, you may be able to get a permit by enrolling in a language course, as others have suggested, or try and get a job (although as you are non-EU this will be more difficult as a potential employer will have to prove they cannot find a Swiss or EU citizen to fill the role).

Another alternative is that you and your boyfriend investigate getting married... that might change the situation (in the eyes of the Swiss authorities, as this would then come under the heading of 'family reunion'). The 'right' to family reunion would depend on your boyfriend's situation though (Swiss / EU / non-EU / permit...).

Hope that helps...

Yea youre right tax cant be taken from my income as I dont make any. But I spend alot of money in CH on living expences and alot of other things and the tax off that does go to to the government.

And Im not sure I understand which benefits of Switzerland I am using just by living there? I pay dearly for everything I use, except ofcorse breathing Swiss air.

Thanx everyone for the useful posts. I am having some difficulty finding the right language school which would allow me to stay for a longer period of time.

The Migross Ecole I have attended require me to attend a minimum 2 months of intensive courses which are very expencive.
Does anyone know of any other language school which would allow me to stay for longer?

I have also read something about sponsorship. It seems my boyfriend could sponsor me by prooving he has the financial means to support me. Does anyone have any info on that specifically for CH?

Ecole Migros is by far the cheapest of all the language schools here.

I hope my post isn't offending. I just see the quality of life here as very high and feel really privileged to live here. To me, paying living expenses and shopping isn't paying "dearly" for everything you use.

There are so many benefits to living here that I don't know where to start. Everything from the parks and trails to the clean streets. I hope you can move here, especially as I understand how hard it is to be away from your partner. I just want to put it into perspective as to what you get here in Switzerland and why you're not being "handed" a residency permit.

You could enrol in a school to do something other than language eg hospitality etc which run two year courses, but they are expensive as you say.

I suspect (reading between the lines) that if it is too expensive to pay for a course, it will be too expensive to sponsor you to stay but there are some links here

good luck

You say you are willing to pay tax and pay dearly for living here; this is your chance. It sounds harsh but if you want to come here via one of the few channels that are open to non-EU, you have to play by the rules and they are usually pretty expensive.

When I first came here there weren't even any provisions for EU people to stay or get residency without jumping through hoops. I also came here to be with my then boyfriend and we had to live on one wage, pay for language school, etc.

It was a pain with two of us living on a single fresh-out-of-uni wage but we wanted to be together and we planned an intricate budget so we could manage it.

I've been here more than 10 years now, working, married and with a child. It can be done; you just can't cut corners.

My parents aren't rich and my I'm not rich but my boyfriend has a good job in Geneva and I think he would be able to sponsor me. So far I've had a great international education but I cannot ask my boyfriend to pay the rest of it, thats too much to ask from a boyfriend in my opinion....

My biggest problem is that my parents cant afford any long term education or language lessons in Geneva which is why I still dont have any qualifications and still dont speek French. Without those two things I cant even dream of getting a job. So its all one vicious circle which I dont know how to get out of...

Another problem is that the country I come from doesnt offer me anything for the future either. So even if I do get qualified for something in my country it is likely that it wont be accpted anywhere else.

Offcorse I was just joking about being "handed" a residency permit. I truly do appreciate every day I spend in Switzerland and I envy you who have the right to live there. The only thing that bothers and offends me is that I have less chance and I am looked on less favourably than all those thousands of criminals and drug dealers coming from EU countries. I see them robbing people, dealing drugs, littering the streets, vandalizing and bringing the reputation of CH down. And considering how much damage they do, they are the ones tax payers should worry about.

You could, of course, get married if your relationship is coming to that stage. That would facilitate your settlement in Switzerland a little more easily.

If you are planning to get married some time in the future anyway, bringing it forward shouldn't make such a big difference if it means you can continue your relationship at more close quarters than via phone and expensive travel.

I don't know about Geneva, but in Bern the Volkshochschule is much cheaper than the Migros for language classes. Maybe there is some similar kind of publicly-funded schol in GE as well (Université pour tous or something of the kind ?)

This is the right answer. Sponsorship for life (or until divorce).

Heck, your fella needs to man-up and show his commitment to you.

HTH and I'm off to buy a hat

Hi Odile, woe is 'malheur', you probably meant to say woo 'courtiser' (hee hee!)

Klinka, as others have pointed out, it seems that your options are the language course, the boyfriend sponsorship, or getting married. Or (worst case scenario) doing the long distance thing for a while, apply ad nauseam until you find a job, and try to learn the language from wherever you are.

Make no mistake, it's not just Switzerland by the way - my brother is moving to the US for a post-doc position next year, which will last for 3 years minimum, and he wanted his girlfriend to go with him (they lived together already for a year and were perfectly fine without the "piece of paper" - marriage contract). Well, they basically "laughed" at him and told him there was no chance it would happen for the visas, etc. so they got married last August - easiest solution IMO, especially if you plan on doing that anyway sometimes down the road.

Wow, why would you wan to live in a place where you are in a position to see thousands of criminals and drug dealers? I've never seen anyone robbing people, dealing drugs, littering the streets or vandalizing. If I did however, I sure wouldn't want to live there.

I dont see thousands, but the fact is that there really are thousands coming in from France and other EU countries as "crime tourists". Take a walk by the lake in Geneva during peak tourist season and you'll see all sorts of things happeing. I saw on more than 10 occasions people getting robbed and I have been offered to buy drugs countless times while jogging around the lake. When it comes to vandalizing I saw trash cans being kicked, deliberate littering, spraying walls. I saw a few fights... I dont know where you live but Geneva isnt as safe as people think.