Hello everyone

My husband is currently working in zurich on an L permit. I am currently having a dependent L permit with me.

I have strated looking out for job oppurtunities here but am facing hindrances related to the permit.Can I get an help on knowing if

An L dependent permit can be changed to L work permit.
Is there a possibility of applying for a work permit/work authorisation personally and get it or only if the employer chooses to apply for it.

Thanks

Hi,
I think you cannot change L-dependent to L on your own. Only an employer can do that. So you need to find an employer who is willing to offer you a job and then the employer can file for permission to work on your L-dependent visa. Ofcourse the other option is the employer files for your own L-permit.

Yeah, basically on the L your potential employer has to jump through the same hoops as the 'first' employer did for your OH ... although iirc there is no quota limit on converting the permit of somebody already living here ...

Thanks..that means there is a possibility that the L dependent permit can be changed to L work permit, if the employer seeks to apply for it..

Hi I have question related to this if someone would be kind to answer.

I live in Switzerland for more than 5 years, where I finished PhD, short postdoc and another course of studies all at top Swiss universities. I got job in one of the most wanted companies (open ended contract) and in the meanwhile I got married with my long-term girlfriend. We are both from non-EU countries.
Company took care of my permit but unfortunately after 5 years on B I got L permit. I was told it is part of standard procedure. Than we applied for my wife's permit (family reunification).

Lawyer that takes care of permit for my company assures us that my wife will be able to work, which contradicts to what I can read on this forum. Apparently here people claim that dependents of L permit holders can't work. Luckily my wife got offer as soon as she came to Switzerland (her qualifications are kind of rare) and the lawyer convinced her future employer (hopefully) she will be able to work.

Now after this extremely lengthy introduction I have few questions:

1. Is there any chance the she gets work permit straight without need from employer to apply for her? In the other words the fact that spouses of L permit are not able to work or it is just matter of probability?

2. The lawyer which takes care of our permits said that if she don't get right to work he will take care of the permit and my employer will take care of the costs. Given that company (if we can call it like this) where my wife will hopefully work is small are there any other loops that they have to hoop except time/money (which would be covered by my employer)?

I would be really grateful if someone could provide me some help or clarify the situation. Thank you in advance.

You can't change from Dependent L to Working L directly. It will be the same process like a fresh L then. But in dependent L also, you can get the work authorization and you can start working in Zurich. I think the second one is much faster and easier.

Hi Awesome,

Thank you very much for your kind reply, I really appreciate it.

I spoke to the lawyer he said something similar, apparently we should of asked for that in our application form, but no one in Migrationsamt informed us of this option. I just assumed it is automatic. We have signed power of attorney now to the lawyer and hopefully he will be able to take care of it.

However since this forum was ultra helpful I would also appreciate if you could advice me how to ask for authorisation in L permit, given that the process is already in progress?

Question 2 is that I am in Zurich and her job would hopefully be in Zug. Is that a problem?

Thank you for your time and kind replies.

Hi Awesome,

Would you know if a student with L permit would be able to apply for a part time job?

Thanks!!!

Hi, what is work authorization and how to get it?

Work authorisation means the permission to work from the authorities. There is a 'work permission 'authority... in German it's something like 'Arbeits amt'...

It probably is easier to get a work permission for a dependent L than a new person outside the country (at least, I felt like the situation was pretty straightforward when mine was done) - but it is the employer's responsibility, and they may or may be able to match you to the requirements.

Basically, the person still needs to be taking a specialist job, for a position that cannot be filled by a local (Swiss or EU) candidate. They have to be offered an acceptable wage (the authorities check this, if it's too low they will tell your employer it's too low)...

Tinderstick, I hope you're not going to pay your lawyer a lot of money for what is essentially paperwork that your wife's employer is going to do - if she is specialised, then the permit should not be a big issue (I'm assuming minimum 3 year bachelor's degree and probably postgraduate)...

I hope it runs smoothly. I was in this situation and successful, and it was all approved within the allotted time frame. The authorities told my employer that it would be dealt with within 3 months, and we also had a 'start' date which was based on the previous staff member leaving, and they met our deadline and I was able to start work on that day...

Thanks for the above posts, I now understand that a dependent L permit holder can apply for work authorisation.

In my situation, my wife and I hold a L permit for Zurich. Would it be possible for my wife (dependent) to apply for work authorisation in Zug?

In other words, living in Zurich but working in Zug. Or does she need to work and live in the same Canton?

Thanks in advance!

thanks swisspea for the useful post...

Thanks for sharing the experience..

Hi,

I am in Switzerland with dependent L Permit, can i directly get my dependent permit change to working permit; so that i can find a job more easily. if yes, kindly share the process. or is it mandatory that only once i find a job my employer would apply for my working permit.


Many thanks,
regards

Any employer has to ask permission to be able to hire you as they need to meet certain conditions to do so. You can't change your permit yourself, it's not allowed.