I am an American here as an au pair for one year, which means I am working legally with a residence and an au pair visa, it is valid for 12 months. I have now been here for 5 months and REALLY want/need to be here longer. As a recent college graduate and an American, I understand my chances of getting a job are SLIM.
I was wondering if I were to apply for a B-permit after finding a family to hire me as a nanny (completely different than au pair) at the end of my 12 months, what are the chances of that being granted? Would I need to return to America to do so? And for how long?
The reason I would like to/need to stay in Switzerland is because my eu boyfriend works here.
Sorry, but as an American you can’t apply for a permit yourself. What you could possibly do is find a new employer who’s willing to apply for you. The problem is they would have to prove to the authorities that they can’t find a Swiss or EU person to do that job and that’s very hard to do with something like a nanny position. This applies to all “third country” job seekers and it’s an expensive and time consuming process for potential employers which is why they’ll only make the effort if your skills/experience are outstanding or you fill a niche in the market. You may need to be outside the country as well, but I’m not sure on that side of things. This is what it says on the official www.ch.ch website:
Employment of third-country nationals is in principle subject to the following restrictions:
Authorisation is only possible within fixed quotas. National employees and members of states with which Switzerland concluded a free movement agreement, have precedence on the Swiss labour market. Third-country nationals can only be employed if there is no-one suitable from Switzerland or an EU / EFTA country to fill the post. Personal requirements must be met. The following people are authorised to work: executives, specialists as well as other qualified workers, who primarily include persons with university or polytechnic qualifications and several years of professional experience. Depending on the profession or specialisation, persons with special technical training and several years of professional experience may also be authorised to work. The issuing of residence permits is based not only on professional qualifications, but also on integration criteria. A person’s ability to adapt professionally and socially, their language skills and age should be such that there is a strong likelihood of long-term integration in the Swiss employment market and the society. Salary and working conditions must be the same as for Swiss nationals. If you’ve recently graduated, what are your qualifications? You also need to check that they would be recognised here which isn’t always the case.
Thank you guys for responding.. I really appreciate it!
To answer your question, I graduated with my BA in Public Health Education. As I only graduated last June and am at the ripe age of 22, it is easy to see how I would not have enough qualifications for a company to hire me and be able to get a new permit. That is why I was wondering if anybody has had any luck becoming a nanny, because the qualifications I could list for that job, (or rather my employer could list) is much greater and more specified than working for a company.
To answer Jamisteven,
1. I am not ready to choose my masters degree, whether it be education or public health, especially since many of the courses for both degrees are taught in german and I am only at level B1.
2. Is there even such a thing as a "language learner visa"? I do not think this is true due to a conversation that I have had with the University of Zurich before.... PLEASE correct me if I am wrong!
3. As romantic as getting married for a residence permit sounds....well lets face it, it doesn't sound romantic at all. I am happy in my relationship as it is and would not want to screw things up by getting married only for the reason of staying in Switzerland. Call me old fashioned, but it is what it is.
4. Your last suggestion of being an au pair again....I can't. It is a law that an American can only be an au pair for up to 12 months, and my 12 months will end in August. EU can stay for up to 18 and blah blah blah. This is why I was considering a nanny position for the future, because it would not be applying for the same type of au pair visa (yes there is such a thing.)
You really think an American without any work experience can get a B-permit to work as a nanny? Highly unlikely. If you check Migros, Coop, Anibis, Tutti, GHI, Tagblatt ... classifieds, you will see there are many people from EU countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Eastern Europe...) who are looking for nanny jobs in Switzerland. I have many American friends (many of them engineers) who would move to Switzerland if they could get a Swiss permit. Canadian citizens who can speak French and who are registered nurses may get work permit in French-speaking Switzerland.
Once your au-pair visa expires, you will have to leave Switzerland. You cannot extend it and you cannot apply for a nanny job. Just as a Swiss au-pair has to leave the States once her J1 visa expires.
Unfortunately the only two choices you have if you want to live in Switzerland are:
- get married to a Swiss or an alien who is legally living in Switzerland
- get a student visa.
In the latter case, you will have to return to the States and apply for the Swiss visa from there. You will have to provide proof of financial means, confirmation of definite registration with a university/school and of the length of studies...
AFAIK there is no such thing as language learner visa. You cannot change your status while in Switzerland. You will have to return to the States and apply for a student visa at the closest Swiss consulate/embassy.
OP your other option is to try and get a job with a big multinational. Plenty of people on the Forum know someone who has, or have personally have gotten jobs here without speaking German or French. Ew. That sounds gramatically horrible but I'm going with it anyway. You know what I mean.
I was in a similar position, but that I needed to get my permit extended because I had gotten accepted to uni in CH. I thought I would need to fly back home, but the cantonal government was really willing to work with me about it, and I ended up just paying the fees to get a 'new' permit.
I really recommend you try applying to uni, it was the easiest course for me. I am only a B2 level speaker, but with a lot of work I was able to pass the German requirements! Work hard, and German will literally just come flowing to you!
Also, as far as getting married, the requirements depend on which canton you're in. The canton I live in (SG) is not as strict as Zurich in regards to the paperwork (this could be completely wrong, but in my experience, they have no idea what I'm asking for or about for the most part...)
If I can help you at all, or you want to pick my brain, feel free to send me a PM! Cheers!
The age limit is 25 in Switzerland for non-EU’s and 30 for EU’s.
See this from the bfm.admin.ch website:
"The Law on Foreign Nationals, in force since 1 January 2008, has introduced the following changes:
Au pairs from third countries (e.g. USA, Canada, Thailand, etc.) can only receive permits if they are placed through an agency which is approved and licensed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Currently there are only few such agencies specialising in the placement of au-pairs (e.g. pro filia). However, we expect the number to increase throughout the year. Au pairs may now be placed only if they are between 18 to 25 years old.
Placement through an agency is not necessary if employing au pairs from EU/EFTA countries. The age range for au pairs from EU/EFTA countries remains between 17 and 30 years of age. Au pairs from “old” EU or EFTA member states (e.g. France, Spain, UK, Norway, etc.) receive their short-time residence permit or residence permit after presenting a work contract and registering themselves with the communal authorities. Au pairs from the new EU member states (e.g. Poland, Slovakia) still require a residence permit from the cantonal authorities."
Yes, you could possibly do the application for the work permit yourself if they are EU/EFTA, but do you want all that hassle? Iirc they need various insurances paid for, language course of course (the main reason for being an au pair), etc.