Hi folks

I recently returned from a 1,5y expat assignment outside Switzerland.
When i left for my assignment, I was a C permit holder (7 years in Switzerland) and presented a letter from the company i work informing the authorities my permit was to be suspended and re-activated again.
Note that i did the de-registration process (abmeldung)
When i came back, authorities gave me a B permit claiming they had no record of such letter; so i am now starting all over again and subject to withholding taxation. Also i know i loose other benefits with this process - still learning which ones.

My company - they screwed up - are trying to get C permit back, but i don't have much faith.

This is a warning to all but I'd also like to hear your similar experiences

Cheers!

Luis

Yes. You need to make sure you have a response from the commune confirming your permit has been put on hold.

If your from the EU, the only benefit is social help benefits as now you can buy a house with a B. TBH I would rather not have to bother doing a tax return!

Did you get an official letter from the Cantonal Authorities confirming your permit was suspended? Also, did you fill out an application to suspend your permit (Gesuch um Aufrechterhaltung der Niederlassungsbewilligung). Every Canton has its own application form which must be filled out (below is an example from Kanton Aargau):

https://www.ag.ch/media/kanton_aarga...ewilligung.pdf

A letter from your employer is only considered supporting documentation, but you must file an official application.

"TBH I would rather not have to bother doing a tax return!"

Could you explain what you mean by this?

Let's hope fatmanfilms remembers what he meant back in 2012

It's simple. If you have a B permit and earn under CHF120k a year then you don't need to fill in a Swiss tax return; you're taxed at source as it were. Once you have a C permit or earn more than CHF120k on a B permit you have to fill in a tax return.

If I am not mistaking you can only buy a property if you are living in it.

Yes and no (bits are right, bits aren't). It depends on the nature of someone's contract, and whether they have more than 1 contract running in parallel. Contractors commonly submit tax returns on L and B permits with variable earnings, and I've seen examples of contractors on L permits exceptionally earning big money 1 year, and being pursued thereafter for a tax return every year, although they were earning under CHF 120k every other year but the exceptional one.

And then there's that pesky world income to report.

-Dr. M