Hello, I have recently moved to Lausanne.
I moved here as my girlfriend is swiss and she currently studies at university here so I am planning on staying here through out her studies. (3 years or so)
I have been told that once I have a housing contract and a work contract I can then apply for a permit which would allow me to stay here and work legally.
I currently have my house contract and next week I will have my work contract.
The problem is that I am a carpenter and I am having trouble finding work currently. (partly due to it being winter now and a lot of construction companies close down/dont have as much work as in the summer. Also my french est pas bon so i currently attend a school to improve this.)
I know these questions have probably been answered before but im struggling to find the answers.
I have found a job in a nightclub (which has offered to give me the work contract) to help fund my stay. (rent & school) until i find a job within carpentry.
However this is only for 2-3 days a week so im obviously going to have to live cheaply right now.
If I take these contracts and apply for a C permit would it likely to be accepted?
Also I have insurance from the UK but would I then have to start paying Swiss health insurance? This would eat into my budget quite severely right now so Im hoping not!
I am 25 and from the UK.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and sorry for the stupid questions.
No. Firstly you wouldn’t get a C permit straightaway, only after you’ve lived here for 5 years. You may get a B permit, but depending on your contract it may only be an L.
I doubt the authorities will accept a contract for only 2-3 days a week either as you have to be able to support yourself financially. They work to a figure of around CHF100 per day so you need to be earning CHF3,000 a month minimum. What savings do you have to show that you’re not going to try and use the Swiss social system for money? They’ll want to see proof of several months’ financing to back up that contract before they grant you a permit.
Have you registered as a job seeker? You should do so if you haven’t already.
To work as a carpenter here you may need to get your qualifications recognised. Contact this organisation to start:
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI Contact point for the recognition of foreign qualifications
Einsteinstrasse 2, CH-3003 Bern Tel. +41 (0)58 462 28 26 E-mail: [email protected] .
I seriously doubt you’ll find work easily without a good level of French as you’ll need to understand instructions, etc, when working on a site. Also carpentry is an apprenticeship course here I believe so most workers will have gone through the Swiss system learning their trade.
Once you become a Swiss resident your UK insurance is no longer valid and you have to get Swiss cover which will be backdated to the day of your arrival here. You do have 3 months to organise this, but would be landed with a much bigger bill (3 months’ worth) if you don’t get it done fairly quickly.
Not being harsh, but you’d probably be better to go back to the UK and simply visit back and forth while she’s at uni. It’s not far to travel and if the relationship is strong it’ll withstand the long distance.
ok thanks for the information!
As noted above, if you stay you need mandatory medical insurance.
This is the same no matter what insurer you chose, but some are (much) more expensive than others. Also, (especially!) at your age you want to chose the highest excess available unless you have a medical condititon that brings annual costs above the CHF 1000 range. Check out available offers at www.priminfo.ch
If you don't get insurance within three months after entering (also noted above) the authorities are likely to pick one in your stead, and that probably won't be the best solution for you.