Today I received the B permit approval letter from AWA Zürich after being on L for the first two years. However, it is mentioned that this permit is also limited to 12 months. Does it mean that I need to renew even the B permit every year?
There is also nothing mentioned about how many times can I renew the B-permit, before I get something like a long-term permit.
The letter states,
"Die Bewilligung ist auf weitere 12 Monate befristet. Die Umwandlung erfolgt unter Anrechnung der bisherigen Dauer des Aufenthaltes. Die ausländische Person ist zur Weiterarbeit berechtigt und muss die Schweiz erst mit dem Ablauf dieser Bewilligung verlassen. Vorbehalten bleibt die Erteilung der definitiven Bewilligung durch das Kantonale Migrationsamt."
I have an unlimited work contract from the beginning.
Yes, you will need to continue to renew your B permit every year. Usually you have your B permit for 3 years before you’ll be able to get an “open” B permit which isn’t tied to your employer and lasts for 5 years.
Ok, so it will be similar to as it was for renewal of second L permit which passed just through AWA Zürich?
I mean the renewal application will not go through the SEM everytime as it is was now during the conversion of L to B.
I was just a bit worried as it stated "Die ausländische Person ist zur Weiterarbeit berechtigt und muss die Schweiz erst mit dem Ablauf dieser Bewilligung verlassen", so was wondering that I need to leave the Switzerland after this B permit expires and I cannot renew it any further.
No, usually it’s just a case of your employer having to sign a form I think saying they still need you as part of the renewal process. When it comes to applying for the open B, that will have to go up to SEM again. It’s basically almost a new application and your employer will have to show again that they still can’t find a Swiss/EU national who could do the job.
There is no guarantee that even the "open" permit will be valid for anything more than 1 year. When I was "upgraded" to an open permit, it was still for 1 year.
This could be because Americans qualify for a C permit after 5 years. No idea. But in my experience, if you are non-EU, there is no guarantee of anything permit related.
My employer first applied directly at AWA Zürich for conversion of the work permit. Then after getting an approval at AWA, it was passed on to SEM. This process took around 3 weeks. After getting the letter from AWA Zürich, I went to the Gemeinde to apply for the residence permit.
Interesting! I have done it other way around: received the forms from the Gemeinde, got them approved by my employer, handed them to the gemeinde. After this step, my employer received a letter from AWA (no need to re-advertise the position again) which requested an updated CV and a form to be filled-in. Since then, we haven't heard anything and still waiting (6 weeks so far).
We have started experiencing with a few colleagues that B is valid for 2 years only which means renewal only once after 12 months. After which an Open B is required. Anyone else hearing on this?
Yes - understanding is correct. we have few rejections within my friend circle after 48 months of stay. Meaning L for 2 years and another B on 2 years.
I recently received my 3rd B (after 2 L before). This time it was a mess. Took nearly 3 months. The reason was move of the office from canton ZH to SG (I didn't change the residence address and still stay in ZH). Everything was clarified from our side even between the move and we expected it to be straight forward. However the two cantons had difficulties in communication between themselves and my application was hanging. SG thought it might need new market research. ZH was sure it was not needed, as approval from Bern was received two years before. After two+ months of waiting I visited them and together with my employer helped them to sort out the situation. So no new research, just prolongation for another 12 months.
PS: this year my company is going to do some re-branding and change the name... I'm expecting another delay receiving my next B in 12 months.
Just an update to my case: After 7 weeks from the day that I handed in the permit renewal request at the Gemeinde office in Zurich, my employer received the approval today from Bern for a B permit (after 2 years being on an L, I am non-EU). It took a while and back and forth communication between my employer and AWA, Zurich Immigration office, SECO, and SEM.
Hope this helps someone who is in the same situation...
A Tages-Anzeiger article on the city of Zurich's budget mentions that source tax receipts for 2015 were about 25% below budget. The plan was for CHF 190 million in source tax receipts and only CHF 141 million was received.
Although there could be other factors, this might suggest that there were 25% fewer L and B permit holders working in the city of Zurich in 2015 than planned. This could just be a reflection on demand in the employment market but might also reflect the difficulty in obtaining non-EU L and B permits.
"Doch bleiben die Quellensteuern mit 141 Millionen um 49 Millionen Franken unter Budget."
An update to the update: now I am asked by the Kanton immigration office to provide a police clearance from my home country before they can issue the card. Funny thing is that I am already here in CH for 6 years and this is the first time I am being asked for such a document!! oh lovely Switzerland...
It's a hit-and-miss thing. Some people get asked to provide the certificate, some don't. Before I even stepped into Switzerland, I was already asked by my company's immigration consultant to get a copy ready. It's not been called into action to this day.
I'm curious though. If you're only getting your B permit now, what sort of permit were you on in the last six years?
This paper has limited validity time. And you need to bring it when they ask. I actually did it two times. First time when applied for my first L. Second time they requested when converted to B.