Language Courses and Visa Options for Non-EU

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
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Grüezi :),

I would like some advice on the topic. I’m planning to move to Switzerland and follow the process to be able to practice medicine there (it is possible). Now I’m studying german and a family member there offered me to pay for a language school and the stay.

I’m looking for information about German language courses in Zürich and the possibility of getting a visa if I enroll in a course for more than 90 days.

I’m 28 years old and have Ecuadorian-Colombian nationality. I’d like to know:

  1. Which schools offer good/cheap language programs?(pls give me more than one option, to do my own research) Is the enrollment different for non-EU?
  2. Is it possible to apply for a visa if I register for a long-term course?
  3. If so, what are the general requirements and things I should be aware of? Can I work?

I already mailed to the embassy here and they told me that it is very difficult, without giving me info on how to do the process.

I’d really appreciate any advice, experiences and mostly official resources (some place where I can mail or call) from those who have been in a similar situation. Thank you!

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Are you already qualified to practice medicine in your home country? If qualified as a doctor you should contact the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), MEBEKO about getting your qualifications recognised.

Submit applications for foreign qualifications in the medical and psychology professions

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Nowadays you should be able to learn the language online while still in South America. If you’re using an actual teacher I’d suggest using Germany-based teachers (ideally from southern Germany) instead of Swiss, both due to the lower price and their better pronounciation.

However you might not need an actual teacher. duolingo.com, lingvist.com, busuu.com, etc come to mind, depending on what you’re looking for they may be free. Babbel and Rosetta Stone are other service providers but they’re not free.

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Language schools start at 400-500 CHF per level. From there, the sky is the limit.

About enrollment, the school doesn’t care much about your migration status. So, no difference between EU and non-EU. All you need is to present a letter from the school telling for the visa application.

The student visa comes with one tiny caveat: proof of financial resources. Basically, a bank account statement from a Swiss bank with an account to your name with ~11k CHF per semester or 22k for a year. Or from a local bank in your country with an office in Switzerland.

Here enters the family member. If this person is willing to sign a “declaration of sponsorship”, the money in the bank account may be skipped. The declaration of sponsorship covers: living costs, sickness, accident, return transport , etc.

About work, I only know the rules fro the university, not sure if they apply to language schools. So, work is limited to 15 hours per week during courses. But, not possible to work during first semester.

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Yeah thanks. I already did my research on that.

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Do you know where I can findd official inffo over the amount of money that I have to save in bank and also the time that have to pass for me to be able to work.

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This website outlines the requirements.

Uni of Zürich also confirms the funds need to be 21000chf a year.

You need to plan on not working, as you need permission for this it is not a guaranteed right.

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Another thought. It might be a lot easier for you to learn French or Italian and work in that part of Switzerland.

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Since you ask about canton Zurich, this is the info they provide:

Einreise ohne Erwerbstätigkeit | Kanton Zürich.

Scroll down to Aus- un Weiterbildung, and and look for the PDF titled Aus- und Weiterbildung aus Drittstaaten. The paragraph above the PDF mentions the 21k francs per year.

Then, PDF Section 2.3.1 is dedicated to Language schools (Sprachschulen)

2.3.1. Language schools
For language schools registered in the private school register, it can be assumed, as a rule, that they meet the immigration law requirements for professional training and further education in accordance with Art. 24 Paragraph 1 VZAE. Foreigners can be admitted to language schools if the acquisition of language skills is necessary with regard to the planned training or career path in their home country and there are objective reasons (such as personal development or professional advancement) for language lessons. The aim of a language stay abroad is to apply what has been learned in everyday life in the country of origin. In contrast to Section 2.6, the above-described section concerns “isolated” admission for a language stay at a Swiss language school with subsequent return to the home country. In this sense, only full-day schools that offer intensive German courses with at least 20 hours of instruction per week are recognized in the canton of Zurich. Residence permits for attending an intensive German course are issued for a maximum of 12 months. No immigration permits are issued for learning other languages.

Back to the question of which school, it’s any school that offers a course with more than 20 hours of German per week.

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a lot of thanks guys. All this info helps a lot.

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My cousin is on the german side :frowning:

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It depends what your end goal is. Do you want to live and work in Switzerland? Or do you want to be near your cousin?

German is a lot harder to learn and it will take you longer to learn to the required standard (B2 I think). I assume you speak Spanish, so you could learn French/Italian faster and get recognised in Switzerland faster and be a few hours from your cousin. Then if you learn German later you can move within Switzerland.

Another thing to think of. I don’t know where you are in your medical career - but taking a year or more out of medicine just to learn German may hurt your medical career. Might be better to learn a Swiss language alongside work.

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But hasn‘t OP have to speak a Swiss language up to a certain level to be able to work in medicine at all? And have the training/education recognised first.

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Yes. I meant they’d maybe be better to keep working in medicine in their home country whilst getting B2 in a Swiss language - rather than stopping medicine to study German in Switzerland.

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I am almost certain that you‘ll need C1 to study and practice medicine in Switzerland.

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B2

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IMG_29871287×1888 359 KB

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It’s ironic really because they ask for C1 to get into medical school here. Obviously it’s less of an issue if foreign doctors aren’t as proficient in the local language.

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However you also have to have a C-permit or be a citizen to study medicine in Switzerland I believe.

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I have to live with her.

And about practicing here, it’s impossible. We are just too many general doctors (we don’t have a system like Germany or Switzerland, here you pay to a Uni and the Uni enrolls you on a hospital. You have to work full time for the hospital and keep paying every month to the Uni) and our goverment had cut money from public health. Hospitals are working with less doctors than the necessary.

Normally, People here hire you as an informal employee (it is illegal, no one cares), you don’t get insurance nor any benefits as employee, also the payment sucks my last job like that was $40/12h night shift, they were making their formal employees to do 36hrs shift. The doctor couldn’tkeep up with the shifts and that’swhy they were “hiring”. Also even tho I have had proper offers from other private clinics, they end up being from sus places (they don’t pay, famous for sexual harrasing the employees and/or making dissappear your contract)

After that last interview, I went to a pharmacy. All the places are taken. No one is hiring.

I’m a volunteer on the red cross planning to change departments to an ambulance and being a paramedic. Also I’ve being study german since november 2024.

If I have to do some internship with a basic salary I literally don’t care. I want to be a doctor and I miss to see patients.

Also I’m aiming to do psychiatry (I really like psychiatry) as my specialty. I understand is easier(?) Compare to other specialties ,And I do know it’s not easy (is still a medical specialty)

So, I don’t have money and no formal job (I teach spanish, biology and even sexed).
My cousin asked me once if I want to go to Switzerland on Jan 2024, my answer was that first I want to get a job, get some money, study german and then I can take her offer. She came back on september, I was not ok and she insisted on her offer (a house and money). I accepted. Idk why in January she add the language school on the offer.

Sorry for venting. But it’s not an option to stay here, this is my best chance and I can’t be a picker.

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Don’t worry, it’s OK.

As consumer of health services, I can tell a story. I’ve been in Switzerland for 12 years. So far, I’ve only met 2 locals working in medicine, one otorhinolaryngologist and one technician for MRI. The rest come from anywhere around the world. So, your plan is feasible. After all, anyone can do it.

On the other hand, I’ve been to language school for French and German and reality is damned sad. I’ve met nurses that are fluent in 4 languages, save for the one they need to work here as nurses and they work as cleaning ladies. A good pal from my last German course got a mechanical engineer degree back home but works as a plumber here. So, take seriously the comment from Medea about the possibility to validate the medicine degree in Switzerland.

If you feel unappreciated and expendable back home, prepare yourself mentally for the possibility of that happening twice as a strong in Switzerland. Of course, you may have the chance to find a nurturing environment that supports you as you develop. But, this is chance, not the average. Even if there’s a strong demand for doctors, the system is not friendly to doctors. Tradition or whatever.

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