Hello

I will soon be applying for citizenship.

First:
In the form Erklärung zum Einbürgerungsgesuch, I saw that a local secondary school/university etc... diploma could be a proof (and therefore would allow me to skip the interview) but I have heard otherwise. Can my Master help me skip the interview part ?

2nd question:
I have seen that the process could last up to 7 years... during which you should not move. Do you know of procedures that really fail because of that ? I'm already living between 2 cantons because of a new job and I'm expecting the situation to change again (and would also like to move with my partner).

Thank you

A Masters degree in what? Probably not as Swiss history and politics will not have been taught?

Never heard of 7 years but no, you should not move as that resets the clock.

With the new law there is maximum set time for them to respond to your request, which I think it's 18 months

Where did you see 7 years? On the Stadt Zürich webpage it says “Das ganze Verfahren dauert etwa 2 Jahre.” (https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/portal/...verfahren.html)

I just went through the process - it lasted 2 years almost to a day.

You definitely can move within the commune. Perhaps within the Canton, depending on the Canton. Do not move to another Canton.

I think perhaps you should learn a little German. You have grossly misunderstood the requirements.

There's no skipping the interview.
If you have completed a Swiss education (a certain number of years) you are exempt from getting a B1 certificate (or whatever the cantonal standards are) in the local language.
The Federal government has set the minimum requirements. Cantons can make these more stringent. As can each Gemeinde. In my community, three years is required before applying and they expect you to stay resident for five years after being granted citizenship.

Here: P7/8


https://www.zh.ch/content/dam/zhweb/...erwachsene.pdf


I'm guessing there will always be an interview, but perhaps I won't get the little quizz beforehand. I will prepare for it anyways. It's stuff I should know (and know mostly already).


Regarding the 7 years, I know it's an extreme case but I had stumbled upon a court decision (can't find the link anymore) which is now jurisprudence. Anyway, it seems that things are getting a bit easier now. Thanks for the info

It sounds like you haven't met the responsible person in your Commune/Gemeinde yet and discussed the requirements pertaining to your circumstances.

There is some local discretion on the language proficiency and what can be accepted in lieu of the cantonal test.

I recommend you look into the "sprachenpass" equivalent to classic B1/B2 academic assessment at www.fide-info.ch.

The non-language exam is a different matter, and even if exempted from the language part, you may still be required to complete it (this happened to me).

if you need to do both, in Kanton ZH you can't complete both in Dübendorf on the same day (and it was only possible every 3 months), thus please factor this into your planning.

However I did it all in between June 2012 and April 2013 so a lot may have changed since then.