Hello Everyone,

I am a non-EU citizen working in Germany for last few years. Now, I am supposed to move to Switzerland for work.

My work permit status:
Approval 1 by Zurich Canton - Approved
Approval 2 by SEM - Approved
Approval 3 by Zurich Immigration Authorities - Pending (for approx 2 weeks)

Can anyone pls tell, what's the usual processing time for approval 3 by Zurich Immigration Authorities? Also is it really an approval step or just a processing step?

Thanks

There is no approval 3.

https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home...ensablauf.html

What Zurich need to do is send authorisation to the embassy/consulate in Germany for your Type D visa so you can enter Switzerland for more than 90 days. Then when you get here you go to the gemeinde where you'll be living to start the process of getting the pre-approved permit issued to you which will take a few weeks.

Thanks Medea Fleecestealer..This helps

Also, do you know what's the typical processing time for Zurich authority to issue authorization post SEM approval. Thanks

Normally it shouldn't take long since they just e-mail the embassy/consulate with the authorisation. But with the coronavirus situation no idea how quickly they're issuing them atm. Needless to say there's a backlog on permits to be dealt with. Have you tried contacting them or the embassy/consulate to ask?

Thanks again Medea Fleecestealer..

No I haven't tried contacting them yet. If I am not mistaken, my employer need to contact them to check the status. Or is there any way I can directly contact them. I do not have any reference number for my application. Thanks

Yes, your employer needs to check or give you the reference number.

Hi ,

I am from London and Non-EU
So I was told by my employer my application for B permit has been approved at first level and sent to second level. What does this mean and how long does this take to process at the second level?

Are there chances of rejection at this stage?

The procedure is here and yes, it can still be rejected if SEM aren't happy.

https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home...ensablauf.html

And there's no guarantee what permit type you'll get. It's more likely to be an L than a B simply because there are more non-EU L permits than B's.

Hello Everyone..Thanks for your help earlier.

Wanted to update for someone’s future reference that it took a little over 2 weeks after SEM approval to get “Authorisation to to Issue Visa” from Zurich canton.

Thanks.

Hi there, thanks for the helpful post.
What was the total time between submitting the inital application (to Zurich canton) to having the permit 'in hand'? (Assuming this was a D-Permit to enter?)
And what was the total time between registering in Zurich canton for your B permit and having the permit 'in hand'?

HII,

I have completed my masters in Germany and my employer told me we got approval for the first level and sent it to the second level the same as yours, how long did it take in your case for the whole procedure? can you please help me out? I am worried because we did an application in July the first week.

Everything is backed up. What normally happens isn’t happening now. It will happen when it happens. I wouldn’t be too concerned about rejection, as your employer has devoted resources to getting you approved, they wouldn’t have done that if they thought there was any risk.

Hi Bhushan,

I received your private message, but felt it better to reply in the open. The reality is as bowlie says - everything is backed up right now due to covid. Even if I told you it normally takes 8-12 weeks, that might make you feel better but it would only be my opinion. My opinion is not going to sway the Swiss authorities to move faster.

If the canton has approved, you've cleared the first hurdle. Now you have to wait for the federal level, for however long that takes. None of us can tell you what the odds are of rejection vs. approval at this stage.

If you're really concerned, talk to your employer. As bowlie says, they're spending money and time to hire you. They have a vested interest in following the process. The employer can follow up with SEM to see if there's any missing information, etc. and ask for a rough timeline.

It's frustrating to hear this, but all you can do is wait.

Hello,
Thank you so much for your valuable opinion.
I will wait for the SEM decision and also talk with Company's HR to take some brought deadline from SEM or if anything more required.
Regards,
Bhushan Bendale