does anyone have experience or a reasoned assessment of a non eu student with permanent residence in germany living on the german side of the border and commuting to eth while a swiss permit matter is pending
how does the short visit allowance of 90 days in any 180 interact with attending classes or exams and returning to germany each day
does eth require a swiss residence permit to remain enrolled in that situation
would contacting the international student office help clarify or support this or would they mainly refer you to the migration office
firsthand experiences and informed opinions both welcome
Far as I know you can’t study here until you have a Swiss residence permit. The 90 days doesn’t apply as that’s for tourists, not people working/studying in Switzerland.
I was a student but fully registered in Switzerland. But, we got visitors from Schengen area all the time. Since visitor didn’t get paid in Switzerland, no paperwork at all.
It all depends in the 90 days within 180 days. If bachelor, the amount of days to be present at the university will probably push beyond the limit, so a permit is necessary. If a part-time Masters, it may work. These masters are compatible with a 50-80% job.
I don’t think residents in a neighbouring EU state can commute to Switzerland for studies. At least not without a permit.
I’d contact the school and ask their advice. They would know the rules and regulations.
It’s interesting that non-EU nationals legally resident in an EU country must meet stricter criteria for a G permit, including having long-term residence in an EU/EFTA country bordering Switzerland and prior residency in the designated border zone. A G permit is for cross-border commuters who live outside Switzerland but work here.
If you have applied for a Swiss permit and it’s pending, I don’t think it will take 90 days for a reply. Also if you have a German residence permit, there is no limit of “90days in any 180 days” (that for tourists), it’s just “90 days max, then you have to go back”. But by commuting you are satisfying the requirement, I think.
As for ETH formalities I don’t know, but in Vaud (EPFL, UNIL) they don’t mind, there are many students living at home in France. The issue is how serious you are about your studies, as (even in EPFL, where France is a simple boat across the lake) the time required for commuting is incompatible with successful studies due to eg uni timetables “lessons very late today + early tomorrow” making long term commuting an expensive waste of time.
The Schengen rules are for the purpose of tourism from third countries [it does not even apply to residents of states participating in the Schengen Area] and you are not a tourist! Schengen rules require you to be able to do things if asked by the authorities:
Be able to identify yourself according to one of the official documents listed on the EU website
Justify your presence in the Area for the purposes of tourism. [This is where you fail]
At the end of the day, if you are not going to respect our laws in relation to Schengen, why should you be trusted to comply with our immigration laws?
Nobody can tell you how it will go. You could cross the border every day for months and even be checked by the authorities… Buy you could also meet a very officious individual who takes acceptation to your behavior - deport you to your homeland and ban you from reentry. Only you can decide if it’s worth the risk.
A travel YouTuber I used to follow a few years ago was deported and banned from reentry because technically she was working as a self-employed person, not a tourist. Yet there are plenty of people doing this every week. It just depends if you feel lucky.
