Hi there,

I just received an email reply from the Embassy of Switzerland in my area and I am left a bit confused (okay...A LOT confused!)

A little back story:
I moved to Canada from Switzerland at age nine.I still have family that lives there...my dad and two sisters etc... I am almost finished with the process of updating all my Swiss information (have left it not updated for a number of years and let my Swiss passport expire) including things like my marriage a few years back and the birth of our son. Once everything is updated I plan on getting my passport renewed and getting one for our son too! Long story short...the reason for all this updating to begin with was that my husband and I decided that we wanted to move back to my homeland next Spring/Summer.

The questions I emailed the embassy were about what type of visa my husband would need to live in Switzerland and what type/kind of work permit would he need (if he needed one at all).

In the reply we were told he would need a family reunification visa and that it was only valid for three months. We were also told that he would get a permit from his future employer only after it was proved that no other Swiss or EU citizen could perform/was available for that same job.

What we are confused about is the following...

(and I know I should email the lady back with these questions....but honestly, it took 4 emails to get this much info. out of her....it was like pulling teeth!)

- The family reunification visa only lasts for three months? Does this mean the entire time we live in Switzerland we have to get it renewed every 3 months? Does this change at all? It just seems a bit short....?
-As for the work permit....I thought that being married to a Swiss person would enable my husband to not have to go through that process of having to prove that no other citizen/EU could perform the same job...?

I really apologize....I really tried finding the answers to these questions in the search bar and I just came up with so much conflicting info.

Is there anyone out there that has dealt with this? Any Swiss/Canadian couples? I really appreciate any help.

You are confusing a visa with a permit. Your husband needs an entry visa. That will be a Visa D for family reunification purposes. That means you need to apply for him to live with you in Switzerland. He will then be given an entry visa that is valid for three months. This means he will need to enter Switzerland within those three months.

When you arrive in Switzerland then you both has 8 days to register with the commune you are living in. They will then issue him a resident permit. He'll get a B permit which will give him the right to work. Don't know why the are talking about that other stuff. It's not correct. He is not subject to quotas or anything.

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Moral of the story is keep your paper up to date

Thank you so much for the reply! I had a feeling the info. I was given was a bit "off". This makes complete sense. Thank you so much for replying and calming our fears!

totally...

I know its a hot patato

Hi again!

So, I have been dealing back and forth with a couple of people from the Swiss consulate in my region....and soon will be dealing with a new Swiss consulate all together because we are moving provinces shortly.

I have had two very different answers from the two ladies I have been emailing with and I was hoping I could get it cleared up here hopefully?

The first lady I dealt with was to put it mildly...not too pleasant! She gave me the wrong info. on work permits (which I got sorted out here earlier on this thread....thank you again by the way!) She was the same lady that told us that we would need to fill out the Family Reunification Visa application when the time came....

A new lady that I have been emailing with lately mentioned that this is not correct (when I asked her a specific question about the Family Re. Visa)...she said that only my husband would need to fill out something and that would be a Long Stay Visa. (He is a Canadian citizen only and I am a Swiss-Canadian...and now our son is too). We all live in Canada at this time and plan on moving together at the same time to Switzerland. I guess the Family Re. Visa is in regards to your family already living in CH and you joining them...?

I apologize for my babbling.....my point....I do have one! I swear! Is this...
which lady is correct? Which Visa applies to our situation?
I was going to wait to ask at the new consulate when we move, but I am very curious now! (and impatient!) I do think the Long Stay Visa seems to apply the best to our situation....but my confidence is shaky because the people that work with this info. everyday don't seem to know!

Thank you in advance for taking the time....and I apologize if this has been covered somewhere else already!

I believe that it is just that a family reunion visa is a type of long term stay visa. On the Visa D (long term stay visa) app it asks for what reason you are applying and one reason is family reunion