Can you please recommend immigration lawyers in Switzerland who specialize in advising on transitions from any current residence status (without restrictions) to higher statuses, such as Permanent Residence (Permit C) or Residence Permits (e.g., Permit B)?
I am looking for experienced migration attorneys who handle upgrades from various starting points (including short-term permits, student permits, family reunification, etc.).
Welcome to the forum. 
Are you EU or non-EU national? Already have an L residence permit or are you looking to move to Switzerland?
Hello and welcome.
I’d start with legal advice from the bar association of each canton: Legal advice - SAV This is a short session at low cost to discuss your case and point you in the right direction. I talked to them once and there was no need to proceed any further.
The easiest path as non-EU is finding an employer willing to hire you and apply for a B type permit. There might be plan B but that’s specific to each person’s path and that requires talking to a lawyer. What I learned from talking to the lawyer some years ago is that plan B was getting an extension of time to find a job. So, not much to do beyond getting more time.
Thank you very much for your message and the warm welcome.
I’m a non-EU national.
I’m already living in Switzerland and plan to switch from my current permit (not L) to a B permit in the near future.
What is your permit then? Diplomatic, refugee?
In my business life, we have worked with a lady lawyer who handles all sorts of immigration issues for our clients.
She is based in Zurich.
I can give you her details via private message (not sure you are allowed to recommend in public forum?).
Kind regards
Ian
How can we contact each other via private messages on that forum?
You may not even need a lawyer. What permit do you have and how are you thinking you’ll be able to change over to a different one?
There is no such thing because there is no market for them. The law is procedural requiring little or no advocacy. There are a limited number of options and it’s all clearly documented, at least have a go at reading it yourself and ask questions here as many people have been through the process. Of course if you want to pay someone a couple of thousand for information already in the public domain, that is up to you.
I believe you will need canton specific advice. Do a search for immigration assistance in your specific canton.
(Referring to Bob’s point about there being no market)
Sadly, this is not exactly true in certain difficult circumstances.
You’re right, it should be the case… but isn’t.
There are several high profile firms specialising. Mostly in advocacy for people who have been turned down because the strict rules say so, but have extenuating circumstances.
(replying to Bowlie’s point)
For sure, they must start with canton specific advice. But in unfortunate cases, canton says yes and SEM says no. That’s where a canton specific lawyer who also has the relevant Federal expertise could be needed.
I guess working with lawyers is worth in cases of family reunion or expulsion from Switzerland where jurisprudence becomes relevant. There’s also a family member already established in Switzerland who cares about the outcome.
In contrast, B permits are churned out by the thousands every year. Much less grey areas. And, if the permit application gets stuck, the employer will probably move on to the 2nd candidate without looking back.
There’s a quite large market for Swiss immigration lawyers… You’ll find people rely on a lawyer from small (I don’t speak German, so need someone to handle this for me) to larger (I was rejected and need to appeal) to complex (I left CH 10 years ago, for 8 years, never de-registered, now want to move back + get early C permit + have tax residency in >3 countries).
I’ve been lucky to get by with only my legal insurance’s advice until now… but it’s a topic that having professional support is VERY useful
To send one, just click on the username of the person you want to contact. Message comes up as an option.
However, I think it might be restricted for new users. So I have sent you a private message.
New members cannot use PMs (to prevent spam) but you can @ message the user and ask them to PM you.