I am a Brit married to a Swiss citizen. We are returning to Switzerland and want to find a place to stay in the German speaking cantons less than 2 hours from Zurich.
From what I understand, we need to apply to the canton in the area where we find our lease.
Zurich wants a lease of an unlimited duration which is a bit annoying (although we are looking at monthly rentals of unlimited duration), but we are wondering if anyone knows if the other cantons are more or less strict about this fact? And if in general they have more or less strict requirements for applying for family reunion (residence permit) than Zurich?
Immigration law might be annoying, but it protects children and submissive spouses. Family reunification would be a failure if a family with children ends up living in a single room apartment. Or moving from one temporary rental to the next which may cause trouble to schools. So, immigration authorities want to see a 1 year long rental contract and everyone’s life around here is simpler.
Cantons are just intermediaries of the immigration, the requirements for permits are set and the process is run by federal authorities (SEM). Requirements here Application for family reunification in Switzerland