Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can help us out with some information.

Here is our situation:

Australian couple, recently married in Australia, now currently in
Geneva, Switzerland.
I am on a Carte Legitimation card (type H) working with UN (WHO).
Husband is here visiting on a Tourist Visa.
My contract has been now extended beyond 3 months (another 6.5
months).
Apparently WHO do not assist short term contract employee's with help
re: spouse dependency visas.

Question is - Can my husband apply to stay beyond his tourist visa on a dependency spousal visa? And can he apply within Switzerland, or does he have to go back to Aus?

Any estimates on how long these applications (within Switzerland/within Australia) take??

Thanking anyone for any information! The Canton immigration office has been hard to get specific info from!

Brooke

He'd have to have to go back to Australia and then you'd have to apply for family reunification I guess. I'm not sure if they'd give you family reunification for a 6 month contract though. An option would be for him to spend 3 months in the UK, you could go over at weekends, then after three months, he could come back to Switzerland for 3 months.

Thanks Island Monkey for the prompt response!

We're hoping my husband doesn't have to go back to Oz (it's a long way!), but if that's what needs to be done, then that's what needs to be done I guess.

Cheers,
Brooke

Did you check with the Australian consulate?

Re how long it takes: I got my family reunification visa in Sydney. We tried to organise it via email from Brisbane, but it was all a bit hard so took the opportunity when visiting Sydney on our farewell tour to visit the office in Bondi Junction. We handed over passports and documentation (including a letter from employer stating length of contract - in our case 2 years) and collected them back as promised 3 days later.

Hi Reyna,

Thanks for the reply! Can I ask some specific details -

Did either you or your husband apply for a Visa Type D - family reunion (dependant spouse?). We've been told by the Sydney Swiss Consulate office that this application may take 8 to 12 weeks re: an answer .....

Was either you or your husband offered a job in Geneva? (I believe each Canton in Switzerland holds the authority to decide. So outside of Geneva it may be different).

I'm glad it was a quick process for you two! Did you enjoy Switzerland? Are you guys still here??

Thanks again,
Brooke

No worries. Happy to help with any limited info I can offer.

Our story goes like this. My husband accepted a two year contract with the IFRC. I am not working here. I applied for the Type D family reunion visa. We got terribly confused by conflicting information from the Swiss consulate website, and sent off an email asking for clarification - particularly about whether they required both of us to send them our passports for an unspecified period of time. The answer was still a little unclear, hence our decision to just front up and do it in person. We made sure we had every possible document with us though. When we did that, it all went very smoothly. We asked if we could pick up the passports on our return to Sydney in 3 days time, and they said that was fine. And it was.

We have been here since 1st March, and so far so good. We were terribly worried about finding accommodation that we could afford, but have just done so and it was relatively painless. The biggest hurdle for me has been not being able to speak French - I really underestimated the impact that would have on my ability to do things, and 'fit in'. This forum, and Google translate, have saved me a few times already!!

Hello Reyna,

Thanks for responding so quickly. I recall swapping a few replies with you back in March when we both joined this forum, hello again!

I am indeed the trailing spouse in question. Thank you for sharing your situation with us.

I have been to the canton office of immigration several times and struggled with the language barrier and French forms to fill out. I agree with you that the language barrier can be a problem.

We are both here with a residence in Geneva and my wife working. The struggle now is understanding the process for me to apply for a dependant visa to remain here.

It's great having this forum to share experiences and ideas. Be lost without it. !!