Hi Everyone,

I am from Canada and I received my PhD dgree at ETH. After that I worked as a postdoc at ETH for two years. My contract will expire in four months. As I rememeber, I can apply for a job seeker visa after completing my PhD degree. Can I still apply this visa even after working as a postdoc for two years ? I am a little bit confused now. What procedure should I follow ? Please provide me some suggestions if possible. Many thanks in advance !

Kelvin

Does a postdoc qualify as post graduate? If so, yes. If not, then the answer is no.

To find employment, foreign nationals who have earned a Swiss university-level diploma will be entitled to stay in Switzerland for six more months from the time of completing their education or postgraduate studies. Those who are successful in securing employment will be issued a work permit, provided the prospective position involves an activity of particular scientific or economic importance.

https://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home...abgaenger.html

Any postion will still need to meet the scientific/economic importance criteria too.

Thanks a lot for your reply, Medea ! The problem is comlicated. I received my PhD degree here and continuously worked as a Postdoc without looking for a job. I am not sure am I still qualified for the application of a job seeker visa.

postdoc is not a degree but a job!!

if u already WORK as postdoc, apparently your B permit is a B permit for employment. In this case, don't downgrade your B permit to a job seeker L permit

check out what's written on the permit

If that's the case asianm, then he doesn't qualify for a job seeker's permit as he's already been working for two years here. I don't think he could get one after graduating so long ago - as it says only 6 months after graduation.

Best check with the cantonal migration office to be sure though. It's really not clear when the 6 month kicks in - after a Bachelors or Masters degree or does it extend to PhDs and PostDocs too.

True

Not true - many a non-EU postdoc (myself included) are on student B permits.

Are you also an employee of the uni? According to ETHZ's website postdocs there are.

"Apart from a few exceptional cases, all doctoral students at ETH Zurich are employed as scientific assistants. However, they are not only employees but also students, and they are obliged in the course of their doctoral study to continue their education, inside and outside their specialist area."

https://www.ethz.ch/en/doctorate.html

After 6 years, I have given up on trying to find out any further reason beyond the fact that it avoids the non-EU quotas.

So yes, I am an employee and I have a contract as such. But I also have to pay basic uni fees every semester....for which I don't receive any teaching (I now give the lectures instead), and get no benefits.

I have tried to change to a "real" B permit but have been told this isn't possible (by the local authorities)....I live in hope.

Hi Guys, I am really confused now. I come from Canada and have my PhD and Postdoc completed here at ETH. Both my contract and work permit already end at the end of September. I have been trying to apply a job seeker visa here. However, the immigration office can not approve it since I completed my PhD almost three years ago. I got a mail couple days ago asking me what is my plan and have I decided to leave. The immigration office asks me to reply this mail. I have some questions before preparing this mail. 1. My plan is to stay here until end of Jan and complete some experiments myself. Can I write to immigration office and ask to give me more time to prepare my leave ? Or this is just not possible. Normally how long do I have to prepare my leave. 2. If I leave, can I keep my apartment ? I can come back as a tourist and stay another three months. Is this a good idea ? Many thanks in advance ! I am really confused now..........

You have until your contract/permit runs out. Are these experiements part of your previous work? If so, then no you can't do them because you would be working which you're not allowed to do without having a Swiss permit which you no longer have.

Also you're already here as a tourist effectively since your permit has finished. That means you must leave by the end of December, not January otherwise you're overstaying your 90 days tourist time. Nor would you be able to return until April next at the earliest as you have to be out of the country for 90 days before you can come back as a tourist.

Many thanks for your reply, Medea. Yeah, I should stop working for the experiments now. I have to wait for another 90 days to come back to Swiss ? How about other countries ? Can I travel to Germany ?

Only until the end of December. Your 90 days covers the whole of the Schengen Area, not just Switzerland. And to return to a Schengen country other than Switzerland will also mean you need to wait out the 90 day period, i.e. April again assuming you leave at the end of December.

I think you're best to deregister and start wrapping things up. You'll need the deregistration document you get from your commune/gemeinde to cancel things like your health insurance, mobile phone contract, etc. You also need to check the notification period on your rental contract to see when you have to give notice by. If you have to leave before you give due notice then you'll be liable for the extra rental months or need to find a new tenant to take over your lease. Check your contracts first for notification and then decide if you have time to do some travelling before you deregister.

I see. Thank you so much for your suggestions ! I really don't have so much time now .