She is from Serbia (so not EU) and has a Phd in Art. Is there any possibilities for her to find a job in Switzerland considering her citizenship or the only way to give her a permit is to marry? Would like to avoid this last option. Which other options we have, if any?
Hi all, I have EU passport and working in Switzerland for 3 years with permit B. Me and my partner are together for many years and the time to unite arrived.
The other option is a concubine permit which is for unmarried couples. You’d have to agree to be financially responsible for her for 5 years. I think she’d be able to work with that permit since you’re an EU national, but best to check with the Zurich migration office.
Thanks a lot, I did not know such a concubine permit exists. Do you have a link where I can read further infos?
That financial responsibility is much greater than in a marriage. And: one can get divorced from a marriage, but cannot terminate the 5-year responsibility.
I have a dependent permit, and it's only a residence permit, not a work permit. In order for her to get a work permit, you have to get married.
Second this! One of my friends is still trapped because of this until mid 2023.
Then again each individual situation is different. Some people have better morals than others, but unfortunately for my friend he is getting used... financially.
No, you do not. Permits are residence initially, but if you find a job usually you just need to inform your commune/gemeinde that you’re now employed and that gets added to the permit.
For concubine permit holders it seems to depend on where your partner is from. If both are EU nationals then it’s no problem; the main permit holder is EU then it’s no problem, but if both are non-EU then the concubine permit holder can’t work here. Those are the reports we’ve had here on the forum over the years.
Thanks everybody for the infos. Do you think she has chances to find herself a job without concubine or marriage permit? She is Phd in Art.
I'm 100% sure that it doesn't work like this. I've had two non-EU friends with Swiss partners who've also had concubine permits, and have found jobs, but haven't been able to take them because of the restrictions of the permit, and had to get married instead. One of them hired a lawyer to help them with the situation, but it didn't make a difference.
But you should of course contact your gemeinde to ask about your specific case.
Possible, depending on the exact field. It's not so much a question of the degree she has, more that the job itself fits the criteria (it has to be a manager, specialist or highly-qualified position, in her field, and it has to be 80% full-time or more) and that the employer can prove that they couldn't find a qualified candidate from Switzerland or the EU/EEA. The job has to have been properly advertised in Switzerland and Europe.
If she lands a university professorship, that comes with a C permit from the start.
How can she find positions in Universities?
Look on their websites I guess. I wouldn’t hold out a lot of hope for that though as she’d probably need to speak a Swiss language to at least B2.
Here is the criteria for Swiss employers trying to hire non-EU nationals.
Permits always go to EU/EFTA nationals first.
Permits for non-EU, like your partner, are awarded only if the job they will be filling is of special significance and benefit to the Swiss economy, and a post for which the employer can demonstrate that it has already made extensive, repeated efforts to recruit such a rare specialist from throughout Switzerland, and the EU/EFTA countries.
To find such a post, your partner would have to be watching all the fields, over a longish time, in which her specialised knowledge could be required, so she can find a niche, a slot which no-one else can fill (and which has been open for some time... that may indicate they couldn't find a Swiss or EU person).
This probably involves a lot of reading, by her, about her own research field, and furthermore reading up on the research, projects, grants and awards of all the professors in any related field here in Switzerland.
She should be looking at non-university options in her field, too, always searching for any cross-over between her own knowledge and that in Switzerland, and some international factors, such as being able to attend fairs, conferences, buying, etc. in which her language skills would be deemed an asset, coupled with her specialised knowledge and working experience. For this, it's worth her while re-thinking her undergraduate knowledge, too, in addition to her PhD.
Parallel to her putting in the hard, long work of that search, she should be starting to learn the Swiss language in the canton in which you live, and, if necessary, improving her English skills.
In short: she would need to prove to a potential employer that she can bring some real benefit to Switzerland, so that the employer can then apply for the permit for her, demonstrating to the Swiss Migration authorities that their search for an EU candidate was fruitless.
No need for the job to have any particular economic importance, that's a bit of a myth. There are many fields that have little direct impact on the economy (for instance, most university jobs aside from applied research fields), but that doesn't mean jobs in those fields can't be filled by foreigners, if they are specialized or managing positions. Also there are common myths that you need a PhD (that's entirely dependent on the field and the job itself) or to make 100K+. It's not a question of money, it's a question of a Swiss employer needing to fill a key position and there not being available, qualified Swiss or EU candidates.
Where and how to find a job is entirely dependent on what field she works in. If she has a PhD, I imagine she must have at least some notion of what jobs she's qualified for and in what field(s). She should research where jobs in her field are usually published (specialised journals, mailing lists, etc), and apply to everything in her field that's reasonably specialized or a managing position, or a university/Fachhochschule/Haute École professorship.
The fact remains though that the future employer has to show no Swiss or EU candidate could be found.
Perhaps the links here might help you: