The rules are 10 years total, the last 5 of which continuous with a long-term permit. Your first stay of 2.5 years for your Masters as well as the first 2.5 years of your PhD count towards the first five years, which you reached in April 2019. The last 3 years of your PhD don't count towards the last continuous 5 years, unless followed immediately by at least 2 years with a non-study, long-term permit.
So yes, based on what you wrote, you could be eligible for the C permit starting around April 2024, when you meet both requirements of continuous last 5 years with at least 2 working post-studies and 10 years in total.
That is assuming that your current work is not a post-doc. If it's for a post-doc position, unfortunately they generally sont count those years as "long-term" stays.
No it's very clear in the law. 10 years total, of which the first 5 include short stays with L permit, continuous or not. The last five years have more strict requirements and need to be uninterrupted and with a long-term permit.
Thanks a lot for your answer. My current work is with a company. I was lucky that the company was happy to do the required paperwork to ask for the quota.
Thanks again for the source. Probably I can print this and go to the commune to argue just in case.
Good luck with your argument, I don't want to discourage you but just wanted to put my experience.
I went two years back with same argument and they just kept on saying that see in the back of your card the date of entry, if its 10 years then you are eligible if not you can apply for anticipe if its more than 5.
In fact there is something more to the first five years of discontinuation. That will be counted only if you stayed lesser time outside than you stayed in swiss. For e.g. if you stayed in Swiss for 14 months and then stayed outside for 13 months then it will be counted otherwise not. And further there is one clause which makes it impossible for you to make it count. Which is that the time you stayed outside you should have maintained social and cultural relationship with Switzerland. And this is where there is a catch and open for interpretation that how do you prove this and whatever you prove whether the authorities are going to accept this.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had the same experience when I came to the service de la population to ask about this. They told me to look at the back of the permit as well to check for 10 years and also told me to apply for permis C anticipé in 5 years if I want.
I also asked them how to prove social and cutural connection to CH. They told me just try to apply, write them a letter and they will see.
Thanks for the pointer. I aslo found this while searching in the forum for similar situation. I also printed this to ask the cantonal authority. Basically, they told me just try to apply and see
In any case, I also asked them whether I could change company with my permit without quota restriction and they said yes which is kind of a silver lining I guess.
you can apply for early C at 5 years (it is not guaranteed). School years are only taken in consideration if you have a permanent contract after graduation for at least 2 years, so in one year from now it would have been like 7.5 years for you and you could apply. I Think interruption resets the time, but i could be wrong and it depends.But the thing is even if they counted the inturruption, you were living as a student so it would only be considered if you have a undetermined/permanant contract for at least 2 years after graduation. But you can try to apply now if you want and see what happens, theyre's no risk what so ever.
I'm non Eu and I applied at the 7.5 year mark with no inturruption in canton vaud after doing 5.5 years of study and 2 years of permanant contract, and i received C after 8.5 long months.
It's nearly one year since my original post. I'm planning to apply for the C permit. One thing that has changed is that I now have a B1 language certificate.
I'm considering 2 options here.
- Permis C anticipée: after 2 years of permanent contract, > 5 years in CH and a B1 language, I can apply for this.
- Normal permit C: basically, you would get this after 10 years, which in a couple of months, I will be living in CH for 10 years but with an interruption in between.
I don't know which route I should take
- Permis C anticipée seems to be more certain as I satisfy all the requirements. What I'm afraid is that the authority would then ignore the first 2.5 years. This would mean I need to wait 2 more years before I can start the naturalization process.
- Normal permit C: this is less certain as I need to convince them to count the first 2.5 years, trying to demonstrate a connection to CH while I was away. But if they accept this, I could start the naturalization process when I get the permit C.
I'm thinking of asking a lawyer but not sure if it would make sense.
Permit C and naturalization have no relationship. Two separate laws, two separate ways how residency is counted. If you get regular C or fast track C has no influence. The previous stay counts in either case for naturalization, if it was on permit B, or will not count if it was on permit L.