I moved to Fribourg last December to work at Unifr as a researcher. The Uni helped me apply for the work permit and I received permit B few months* later.
My fiance moved to live with me in Fribourg in April, applied for the concubine** permit, since we are not married and she didn't have a job in Switzerland, and she was granted permit B (Sejour sans activite lucrative) couple weeks after.
Now, she has found a job at a restaurant in Bern and we are wondering:
Does she have to get the permit changed? How can she do this? Should she reach out to the Fribourg migration office or the one from canton Bern?
Her employer is quite oblivious when it comes to these questions so we were not getting the information we are looking for.
Thanks for your efforts in helping us with this very specific situation.
*yes took quite some time
**fortunately they found my income sufficient to support us both here financially
Sejour sans activite lucrative means exactly what it says. She is not legally allowed to work. Her employer must apply for a work permit or they cannot employ her.
Strongly advise to call the canton. I imagine they gave a non-working permit if she is a Non-EU citizen. It is unlikely that a simple phonecall saying "I found a job" is enough to change the status, but like everything in Switzerland, it is worthwhile to ask.
As her permit is tied to yours, it's your responsibility to ensure she abides by the rules.
Normally, the employer should apply for an authorisation to hire her - they apply for that to the work authorities (not immigration) who, if they decide to authorise it, then tell immigration to issue a new permit.
But in practice it can vary by canton. When I was in that situation a year ago, in Valais , I was instructed that I as the employee should declare my new job to the commune with an application for a new permit. They then notified both immigration and the work authorities. The employer didn't have anything to do except answer when the work authorities called for additional info.
Is she an EU/EFTA citizen? If yes, than changing the current permit to a work permit is just a formality and i think you have to do you through your residence canton (an she has to do it not the employer). If no, than changing the permit will be nearly impossible for the job she found (in that case it would be through the employer).
I should have asked if she is EU/EFTA. That makes all the difference. In BL, she'd just take her contract to the community offices and they'd arrange for a new permit.