Language requirement for B/C permit - French citizen in Zurich

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1
Dear all,

My B-permit is due to expire in 4 months and I would like to obtain further clarification on the current process that is upcoming.

I am a French citizen, domiciled in Zurich. I would like to understand whether I will be asked to provide any proof of minimum proficiency in German to either obtain the C-permit, or to renew my B-permit. I read that the legislation changed very recently and exemptions might not apply anymore.

My job taking me most of the time abroad, I didn't have the chance nor time to work diligently on my German. Am I going to face severe consequences if I fail to provide any minimum requirement?

2

Hi there,

To get the C permit, unfortunately you do need a language proof :

https://www.zh.ch/de/migration-integ…willigung.html

“In all cases, at least one proof of German language proficiency at level A2 orally and A1 in writing must be provided. Excluded are people from Germany, Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein.”

https://www.fragomen.com/insights/sw…-for-2023.html

"Language requirements for C-permit applications:

Beginning October 1, 2022, following a judgment from the Swiss Federal Court, certain foreign nationalities who were previously not affected by language requirements for C-permit applications (permanent residence status) after an uninterrupted stay of 5 years in Switzerland will now need to prove language integration.

Swiss immigration authorities have started to require proof of language skills to grant C-permits and applicants will need to have a certificate attesting an A2 (spoken) and A1 level (written) of the spoken language in their Canton of residence to meet the criteria.

This affects nationals of the following countries: Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, France, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Liechtenstein."

For the B permit , it seems that the regulations have not changed for EU nationals, and you, as a French citizen, can probably still extend it without submitting any languange certificate. BUT, it’s not entirely clear. I’m basically in the same situation (I’m non-EU but my husband is from EU and I got my original B permit through family reunification, without having to show any proof of German skills) and I’ve actually written to the migrationsamt in Zurich to double check. I’m not sure when (or whether) I’ll hear from them, but if I do, I’ll let you know. You can also contact them directly by calling them or using this contact form: https://www.zh.ch/de/sicherheitsdire…ationsamt.html

3

This is quite clear as the rights for permit B (for EU/EFTA nationals, and family members off EU/EFTA nationals) are based on the Swiss/EU agreement on Free Movement of Persons.
There in Annex I, Article 5 you find:
That’s it. No language requirement.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-cont…01%29-20210101

4
That's great, thank you very much for pointing that out!

5
Just to follow up: I finally got a reply from the migration office of Kanton Zurich this morning and they confirmed that no proof of language proficiency is required for the extension of my B permit.

(The original text: Wir teilen Ihnen gerne mit, dass es für die Verlängerung Ihrer Aufenthaltsbewilligung keines Sprachnachweises bedarf.)

It's nice to have an official written confirmation!

(I'm still learning German diligently, just need more time. I'd rather want to get a higher level from a language test than just A1 and hopefully I can obtain a C permit later in the future without a problem.)

6

I had a follow up question for this:

I understand that EU citizens will be subject to A2 oral / A1 written, but what about those with a family reunification permit dependent on them?

Are these (non-EU) spouses of such EU citizens also required to fulfil language requirements? From this ( https://www.zh.ch/content/dam/zhweb/…orderungen.pdf ) I understand it might be A1 or just registering for an approved language course leading to A1?