I’m a non-EU postdoc currently based in the Swiss Romande region. I’m in my first year of postdoc and considering a move to another lab in Zurich.
Has anyone here gone through something similar, or know someone who has?
Is such a move possible within Switzerland as a non-EU postdoc? What kind of paperwork or challenges should I expect?
Also, does the approval process with the migration office take as long as it did when I first got my postdoc position?
For context, I’m still within two years of completing my PhD.
Any insights or advice would be super helpful… Thank you!
No experience in changing universities, only finishing in one 1 year later after the expected period haha
Anyway, your residence permit is linked to the university employment contract as postdoc. No employment, no permit.
The advantage is that university jobs are not subject to quotas, so as long as the other university does the paperwork correctly, it should work.
About timelines, it’s hard to make an estimation. The reaction time of the new university counts a lot too. For sue, it won’t be a few weeks. A few months? Maybe someone else can make a better guess.
If you finished the PhD recently, there’s another kind of permit to “look for a job”. It’s for 6 months. You need to show money in a bank account for living expenses during that time. This might be a solution to bridge the gap between one position and the next one.
Thank you for your input! Unfortunately, I did not do my Ph.D. in Switzerland, so I won’t be eligible for the 6 month permit. I will speak with the HR in the new institute if I get the position
