This forum is a GREAT resource, I'm a first time poster and hope this question is not obvious, I've searched the forum but not found confirmation, I think I've got the answer but want to see if anyone an confirm this. Apologies if it might be a more "french" biased question for this CH forum.
Background : My wife will start working at the WHO in January 2017, we will be moving from Quebec. She holds a UK passport. I believe we will get the carte de legitmation "D". I am Canadian and an engineer. We are considering the pros and cons of living in France versus Switzerland due to our quebec roots (but this big question is not the subject of this post).
Question : My question relates to my ability to work in Switzerland if we stay in France:
Situation 1: We live in Switzerland, my wife receives the carte de legitimation (And I receive mine through her) and this allows me to work in switzerland. (I've read here that there is an adminstrative step required but that this is a formality (permit Ci))
Situation 2: If we were to live in France (as my wife is EU) I understand that she obtains a legitmation card D but that I do not as I am not Swiss resident. However I would be able to obtain a Carte de sejour (CDS) on the fench side. I belive that I cabn work in Switzerland having a CDS in France, is this correct?
It seems the engineering jobs in france region around Geneva are quite limited.
No. Whatever your circumstances you need a Swiss permit of some description to work in Switzerland.
Normally this would be a 'G' (Grenzganger == Frontalier) permit, automatically available for an EU citizen wanting to cross the border into CH to work each day. As a non-EU I don't think that option is open to you, but hopefully someone who knows who be along shortly.
Lyon and Grenoble would be the closest places with decent sized engineering industry.
It's not unless he's lived in the border zone for a certain period of time with a respective residency/carte de séjour (how long exactly differs, I've heard anything from 6 months to several years)
Slightly different rules MAY apply given the wife is EU, but I'm not sure and wouldn't count on it.
Any French permit is useless and does not allow you (or any other non-Swiss safe for those with a C permit) to work and/or live in Switzerland. You need a Swiss permit, L, B or G, depending on exact circumstances.
Question 2: you would not get any sort of permit from Switzerland. You would get a titre de séjour spécial permit from France. However, whether you could work in France I don’t know. All I can find is this link from CERN:
To work in Switzerland while living in France won’t be possible. a) any Swiss employer has to prove why they can’t find a Swiss/EU national to do the job so non-EU are last in the hiring queue and b) you wouldn’t qualify for a G (cross border) permit because a) you’re not a permanent residence of France and b) would not have lived in a border zone for at least 6 months. Your French CdL would not be valid in Switzerland for work purposes, it only applies to employment in France.
If your wife has a CDL, you will get a CDL. These are issued by Federal authority (DFAE).
When you find an employer who can hire you, you apply for a Permit Ci. These are issued by cantonal authority (OCP in Geneva). The employer will usually help with the process.
If you finish job, permit Ci becomes invalid and you return to CDL.
Ci permit is issued, subject to the duration your partner's job.
Your partner can be sure to get a more correct answer from the WHO's HR dept. who will have seen every possible combination of situations before.
Thanks for all your help folks, it is a rather vexing and "overlapping" question. I will circle back and confirm when I get more details from our experience.
BTW - not quite sure what you mean with 'because of our Quebec roots' - Geneva and region speak French and the Romands (French speaking Swiss) generally love Quebec - so I think you'd be most welcome (but speak slowly - as your French is a bit different to our ) - bonne chance.
One of my students = now returned Over the Pond, was a Quebecoise and worked for a large international company in Neuchatel : another was a British woman who worked for an American pharmaceutal company in Boudry, Canton de Neuchatel.
There are huge pros and cons to living in both places [although as others have said, obtaining the necessary permit for CH is a Must] : one of the major benefits of living as we do in France is the cost of living = far less expensive, especially with regards to rentals, or the purchase of a house.
Trying to find suitable housing in the Geneva area is extremely difficult.
If you need further help or information, please do not hesitate to send a PM.
It would be very easy to commute to nearby France from Boudry (Celgène) or Serrières (PMI) - but as you say, many pros and cons. Pontarlier is only 50 mins away.
Yeah, but then you have the traffic queues at the border crossing morning and evening. If you can do any of the border crossings by train then I think it would be easier. Otherwise driving from France into Switzerland will find you stuck for a while no matter which crossing you use.
Not al all- border queues are between Vallorbe-Ballaigue and Pontarlier (eg for Yverdon and Lausanne)- no queues at all to go down to Boudry-Serrières or Neuchâtel. And for Boudry and Serrières (PMI) you cut short by Bôle or down from Peseux - easy peasy.
As I understand the OP's original post, his wife will be working in Geneva. So being fairly close to her workplace should be the primary concern; his looking for, and finding, work is secondary to that... and although living in France has its attractions (mainly financial) it could have a big effect on his permit and therefore his ability to even find a job in Switzerland.
So that could be a major obstacle to deciding to live across the border and I would imagine asking the personnel department at WHO would be the sensible place to start as they're bound to have previous experience of just this situation.
Having said that, if he finds a job in the Neuchâtel area and his wife is working in Geneva they'd be best off living between the two.
But that also needs research as to who is willing to do the bulk of the commuting, living near a railway station along the route might be a good idea as the WHO offices in Geneva are easily accessible by a short bus ride from Cornavin station.
My youngest son lives just south of Fribourg (quite near the lake and just opposite Neuchâtel) and he drives down to Geneva fairly regularly to visit his aged mother, frequently making the trip after work during rush-hour. On a really good day it can take 80 minutes but on a bad one (especially if there's been an accident) it might be three hours+.
I'd suggest BMF and his wife arrive, live in Geneva or close by to start with, sort out his work permit and then decide on where seems best to settle more permanently.
As Odile points out, we do speak french around here, he doesn't need to live in France!
Ahaha - those roads are fine once you know them- all you need is a decent car with good snow tyres- and the right 'disposition' ...
I know many many who do that every day and have done for years. Even my mum in her 2CV drove to her job in Neuchâtel everyday in the 60s and 70s- she was a great driver . I drove most days when I worked at PMI in 1970 too.