Hello, I have a small question regarding the fast-track C permit. (I went through every single post here):
I have now been living in Switzerland for 5 years:
6 months internship (L permit)
18 months under the Young Professional Program (L permit) (a program based on an agreement between certain non-EU countries and Switzerland allowing a long-term professional internship)
3 years on a B permit (permanent contract)
During all these periods, I was carrying out paid employment and was therefore receiving a salary under each of these permits. I would also like to clarify that I am a non-EU national.
I am an engineer and I have all the required documents for a fast-track C permit application.
However, between the internship and the Young Professional Program, I had a 2-month gap because the authorities required me to stay outside Switzerland while processing my application (administrative gap). The same situation occurred between the Young Professional Program and the B permit, for the same reasons.
Has anyone in this group gone through a similar process and still been granted a fast-track C permit after 5 years, counted from the date of first entry into Switzerland? I am currently in the canton of Vaud. Two non-volontary gaps basically, purely administrative.
You can’t do it yet, the years on an L permit don’t count. You also need to speak the official Swiss language of whichever canton you’re residing in.
1 The settlement permit is granted for an unlimited duration and without conditions.
2 Foreign nationals may be granted a settlement permit if:
a.
they have resided in Switzerland for a minimum of ten years in total on the basis of a short stay or residence permit and have held a residence permit without interruption for the last five years;
b.59
there are no grounds for revocation in terms of Article 62 or 63 paragraph 2; and
c.60
they are integrated.
3 The settlement permit may be granted after a shorter qualifying period if there is good cause.
4 Foreign nationals may be granted a settlement permit if they have resided in Switzerland for the past five years without interruption while holding a residence permit, if they meet the requirements of paragraph 2 letters b and c, and if they are able to communicate well in the national language spoken at their place of residence.61
5 Temporary periods of stay, in particular for education or training (Art. 27), do not count towards the uninterrupted period of stay in the last five years in accordance with paragraphs 2 letter a and 4. Periods of stay for education or training (Art. 27) are included if the person concerned, after their completion, held a settlement permit for an uninterrupted period of two years.62"
L permits are short stay ones, B’s are residence.
But…this part. What were the conditions of the permit L? Formation with employment / formation avec emploi?
Periods of stay for education or training (Art. 27) are included if the person concerned, after their completion, held a settlement permit for an uninterrupted period of two years.62"
Yes ! I was getting getting paid during those L permits 100% of the time. It was basically full time job. Once for 6 months (internship) and the next one 18 months (training)
That doesn’t make sense because to apply for a settlement permit you have to have been on a residence permit for 5 years. It only make sense if you already had a settlement permit, left Switzerland and gave it up, then returned for more education/training and then wanted to get the settlement permit back.
Thank you all ! I will try and come back to fully explain to everyone for future reference. What I am sure about is that, it is always case by case. If you have been getting salary and paying taxes for the last 5 years, they could tolerate short administrative gaps and take into account the L permit (of course, high salary, high function, high languages skills and integration would help a lot).
Why are you so stressed? You have a permanent contract and a valid B permit. That’s great!
I would say that you should not expect the internship L to count for a fast-track C. The internship permit was truly short-term without any further expectations of studies or employment.
Regarding the Young Professionals L permit, a query on AI gave this information:
“In the case of an L “Young Professionals” permit, it is short-term and unlikely to be considered as qualifying for the 5-year early C permit period unless it transitions seamlessly to B permit status with integration and permanent work contract conditions met.”
and
“Exceptions for L permit counting toward early C are rare and depend on cantonal discretion and legal interpretation.”
Your case doesn’t sound totally seamless in that you had a two-month gap between Young Professionals and B permit.
I have never heard that earning a salary has anything to do with it. I have EU friends who were here on L permits for the first few years and have since moved to B. They’ve been told they have to wait for 5 years of B in order to apply for early C. These are seasoned professionals, not trainees.
You mention high function, but your L permits by their very nature are NOT high function. Maybe your current B permit is.
You’re always welcome to apply I guess, but I would seriously consider using your Young Professionals date as a starting point. If you try to start with internship then you have 2 x L permits to try and get them to count and 2 x gaps. That’s a pretty obvious case of “this guy doesn’t tick all the boxes just yet”.
Thank you for the detailed answer ! I appreciate your suggestion and what you are saying makes total sense. I will try to apply in any case and if there is an issue I will try again applying using the entry date of the YPP.
I will update here when I hear anything. Thanks again !
