Hello. This question is for my cousin who is non-EU residing in his home country and who got a job offer in CH. Since last month, his future employer in CH has been applying a permit for him. Today he got an email from the employer which says that they (the employer) get a notification today that his working permit has been granted, subject to the grant of residence permit from the immigration office, and so now we have to wait the decision of immigration office.

I don't really know how the procedure goes, but it seems that there are two permits: working permit and residence permit and the first one is granted? Is he close to the end? And does it take a long time to granting a residence permit after the grant of working permit?

I have this question because I really hope that he can celebrate the Christmas and new year with us...

There aren't two separate permits, i.e he won't have two separate ones. What I think it's saying is that the employer has had the work side approved so it's now a question of the authorities being satisfied that your cousin isn't a master criminal or some such. I don't think it will take too long, but he needs to organise his Type D visa for entry into Switzerland asap. Here's the procedure for the whole process:

https://www.bfm.admin.ch/content/bfm...ensablauf.html

I think he's passed the cantonal stage and it's now moved on to the FOM end of things.

Whether he'll make Christmas may depend on which country he's having to apply from for his visa.

Thanks a lot...
He already submitted the application for visa in his local Swiss consulate, and the consulate said that now we wait for the decision of permit. Once the positive decision is received, the visa will be issued within 5 days...

Oh good. He might make Christmas with you here in Switzerland after all.

Hello,
I have some question:
1. How much time can it take to get work permit in Switzerland.
2. Should the employer prove that he did not manage to find anybody for this job in Switzerland or EU? How does he do it?

Several weeks; it really depends on whether they ask for more documents/proof so that could hold the process up.

Here's the link for what any employer has to do to hire a non-EU citizen:

https://www.bfm.admin.ch/content/bfm...zulassung.html

This is time consuming and expensive so employers aren't going to do it unless they have a good chance of a successful permit application.

At the moment any EU national who doesn't have a permit allowing them to work here is facing a similar process due to a quota limit being put on 5-year B permits. So any employer has to prove they can't find a Swiss national or someone else already living here who has a "work" permit who could do the job.

He is still waiting for his permit and we are afraid that he won't be here for Christmas...

His future employer has clarified the situation to him: to apply a permit for him they first have to submit an application to the labor market authority. Two weeks ago, this labor market authority has made a preliminary positive decision which says that he is entitled to take this job, and now the residence permit is under decision in the immigration authority.

So it seems that the procedure is: labor market authority -> immigration authority?
And then finally FOM will have to check it again for a final approve? If it is like this then I think it will still take a while...

No, it should go straight from the labour end to FOM which is the immigration authority.

So you mean that the "immigration authority" after the labor stuff is already FOM. The cantonal immigration office has nothing to do here? In our company we also have a colleague in a similar situation who is waiting for the decison of his residence permit. I was thinking that after the approve from the labor office, it is the cantonal immigration office who has to make another decision, then comes FOM for a final decision... If it is FOM directly then it should be quicker...

No, it goes straight to FOM from the canton employment. See my first link for the procedure.

Hi there!

I am also in the same situation.
I have a positive update letter from the Kanton, but not the final decision from the country´s migration office FOM.

I am waiting for my permit already for 8 weeks! Hope to get it at by the end of this year!