Post
by calai » Sun Nov 07, 2004 11:05 pm
Hi There,
I try to give you an idea about working and living in Switzerland. I am not sure about things in France but have been living in 2 cantons in French Switzerland for a few years.
As your wife is married to an EU citizen, she should be entitled to work and live in the EU. I don't know your profession and how long have you and your wife been married. I guess you and your wife can obtain the French nationality but not the Swiss nationality. So, if you are considering moving over for obtaining another nationality, go to France. To settle in Switzerland, you have to obtain a permit 'C', which gives you the rights equivalent to ILR in UK. This usually takes you over 10 years, providing you stay in the same canton legally, intend to settle there and pass the language exam. If any one of you is below 20 years old, each year you spend in Switzerland would be counted as double. (So, staying there for 6 years may be ok for settlement) You and your wife would not get the Swiss passport but your children would get one if they are born in Switzerland and you have a C permit at the time.
Personally, I think living in France and working in Switzerland may be a good idea as living standard would be lower in France and the salary would be higher in Switzerland (minimum salary is Swiss Francs 2050 per month). Take Geneva as an example, the salary is the highest in French Switzerland but the tax is also higher. You may find a job in the United Nations and the process of obtaining the permit may be easier. You can choose to live in the French border Ferney, the living cost may be 20% less than Geneva and it take sabout 30 - 40 mins to travel to Geneva.
The English people who i know are working here as English teachers, translators, accountants, bankers, for insurance companies or United Nations.
To live and work in Switzerland, there are different types of permits:
L Permit - with limited duration, usually for summer job seekers, issued by employer for anything up to 9 months and cannot be extended.
B permit - both for students and workers, usually issued and can be extended annually, it's the proper type of permit you are likely to get if you are both living and working in Switzerland. After staying in a same canton under B permit for 10 years, you may ask how to obtain a C permit.
G permit - for transit workers, or people who lives near the border, cannot lead to settlement.
The appropriate name of the permit is called
Ausländerausweis (German)/Livert pour étrangers (French)/Libretto per stranieri (Italian)/Legitimaziun d'esters (Romansch)
You have to change your permit if you change your address and/or employer. Different cantons have different quotas for certain types of permits. B permit is the best type if you intend to get a bank account with credit cards or sign a contract with a mobile phone company.
I am not sure if the system has changed but would let you know. According to the old system, EU nationals would obtain a B work permit for 1 year or 2 years, you have to stay with the same job and the same employer for 2 years, then you can change your employer but not your profession for the next 3 years. Although you have to change your permit when you change your canton, you would be able to move and work in different cantons if your new employer would obtain a new permit for you.
The Swiss are not dearly beloved, but can be very reserved and conservative. They are hard working, efficient, but do not expect to deal with all administrative processes in a short time. They are very honest in most cases but very strict and not open minded at the same time. English is not widely spoken outside tourist places (like tourist office, train station and hotel). Geneva and the German cantons such as Zürich and Basel are easier to survive for English speakers.
It can be a big problem to find accommodation if you are living in Switzerland for less than 1 year. For any questions, please do not hesitate to ask as I'm leaving Switzerland shortly.
Cheers,
Caroline
