PhD spouse visa

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1
Hello, I am from Non-EU country and I just received an offer for PhD in Lausanne and should be with a salary rate CHF 52'400. - gross per annum. As my fiancée also Non EU, is it possible that she come to Switzerland with me? I have the following questions:

1. Is she possible to obtain a dependent visa with working permission? What extra step I need to do during the visa application?

2. As she is also thinking about whether is it possible to work for one more year to save money before she comes here. Is it possible to apply for a dependent visa after one year I came to Switzerland?

3. As my salary is not high, is it possible to support the basic living costs in Lausanne for the two of us?

Thank you very much for answer!

2
Hello, welcome to the forum.

Yes, but if you marry before applying for the permit, it is easier. Easier in the sense of less paperwork.

I was in the same situation some years ago. I got a B type permit (education with income) and my wife also got a B type permit (employee work allowed). Did not ask anything special, seems to be standard.

Canton Vaud says you have 5 years to ask for family regroup.

https://www.vd.ch/themes/population/...ourte-duree-l/

Theoretically yes, but it depends on who you like to live. Your annual income will become 3100-3400 CHF per month after taxes and social deductions. A 1 bedroom + living room should be around 1400-1500 CHF (maybe less, but with a lot of effort and luck). The cheapest health insurance is around 300 CHF per person per month. We cook a lot of fresh food, anyway our food expense is 400-700 per month in the supermarket/farm. Eating out make food expenses explode. Transportation, 70-80 CHF per month for a ticket that includes a few zones around the place you live. So, apartment rent, health insurance food and transportation can already consume 2500-2900 of the net month income.

So, it's possible. But we didn't leave the apartment too much until my wife's first income. Any outing meant making the savings smaller.

3
Are we sure that visas are granted for fiancés as well? I thought you needed to be married in order to ask for family reunification ...

4
Thank you so much for your detailed reply! It was very helpful!!! May I know if your wife applied the visa same time as you?

Hi, thank you for your reply. We plan to get marry this summer before the PhD start. Will it affect the visa application?

Moreover do I need to tell the University that my wife will come to Switzerland too? Thank you very much for your time.

5
My wife arrived a year a some months later. Yes, you have to tell the university for several reasons: (i) income tax is withheld by the university and the tax rate depends on civil status, (ii) when you apply for family reunion you need a letter from the university telling you will work there for X time, (iii) nice to tell the colleagues

6
Thank you so much! So is it possible to apply the spouse visa at the same time when I apply for my visa? I have read some forums and it said it is not possible to bring your spouse for the first year of PhD study because you are not an assistant and technically not a working permit. We hope to go to Switzerland together as soon as possible.

7
From my personal experience: yes, your wife can apply for an entrance visa as soon as you will get your permit (not your entrance visa, but a permit).

Also, it may depend on a country you are coming from. Although, legally there may be no difference, but consulate services differ from country to country, which affects many bureaucratic aspects. For example, a pair of my friends from Iran had much more delays and extra requirements for reunification, than pairs from USA, Russia and Hong Kong. It is by no mean a meaningful or representative statistics, just saying.

About the marriage: the immigration system encourages you to get married before the move, it makes many things easier

8
No idea about that first year. Also, my experience is from 2013/2014. Things may have changed.

I guess the best you could do is ask the professor hiring you about other student that went through this process recently. You're not the only one in this situation. I can bet a 24 pack of beer that someone in the same department did the very same paperwork last year and is happy to help. So, ask your futures colleagues and get better info. Good luck

9
Thank you for all the advice! Hope everything will be ok!

10
Hi, I have contacted the university and they said it is possible apply the permit for her if we get married before June otherwise I have to do the application by myself. However as I am currently in UK and she is in Hong Kong, I cannot go back Hong Kong immedialy to get married due to Hong Kong Boarder restriction. So is the family reunification application very complicated if I apply it by myself? I have read some web but I cannot find a exact procedure/requirement for the application... Thank you very much for your help.

11
And is it true that she need to obtain A1 language qualification before we apply family reunification? Thank you very much for your help

12
No.

13

Well … yes, sort of.

"Upon arrival in Switzerland, family members must present the following documents:

proof of language competence (to at least oral level A1) in the national language spoken in the future place of residence. Proof of registration for a language course also meets this requirement."

https://www.ch.ch/en/family-reunification

14
It all depends on how much you dislike dealing with bureaucracy. I had to apply for family reunification myself because my wife arrived a year later. If I remember I filled out a form at the gemeinde/commune, showed a proof of income (supplied by the university), a letter from the professor telling how many more years I was expected to be there, and the rental contract of a big enough apartment. The only challenge was to do the paperwork while being treated like a dumb child for having bad spelling of the local language. On the positive side, I got lucky the day I brought the marriage certificate because they didn't ask for an official translation with apostille even though it was on Spanish. They made a copy of the marriage certificate and I made some handwritten notes on it to indicate in French about family name, birth date, birthplace.....and it was enough. That wonderful person saved me a lot of time, stress and money, but I think that's not the usual outcome.

About the local language. If I remember well the regulations changed not so long ago (1-2 years) and the knowledge of local language is now another requirement for permit type C, not B. The Vaud site for family reunification says nothing about language requirement for family reunion of a resident with B type permit. EFers, am I reading wrong this site? https://www.vd.ch/themes/population/...ourte-duree-l/

But better ask them (canton Vaud authorities), possible via email (courriel in FR) https://www.vd.ch/themes/population/...ion-etrangers/

Anyway, it doesn't hurt and helps a lot to learn the basics of French. If you don't want to spend more than 1,000 CHF on a language course, check at the university language courses (free for your, 200-300CHF for your wife), or this NGO named ECAP also about 300CHF per level https://www.ecap.ch/en/

15
Thank you, that is interesting. Still registration for language courses is not a problem nowadays.

Our experience with Zurich is different. When we applied for the family reunification, we both spoke almost no Deutsch, but was kindly provided with a booklet, where many opportunities for integration and learning the language were presented. Maybe the ETH or the Zurich thing though.

16
Thank you for all of your kind responses!

Based on my understanding after teaching on the internet. After I settled in Switzerland, my wife needs to start apply for the type D visa in Hong Kong with various documents. Then the application will transfer to Canton Vaud and they will send a document list to me and ask me to provide different documents such as rental contract, Ph.D. contract, etc. After the submission, they will make the decision. If the application success, my wife can come to Lausanne and once she arrives she needs to apply for a permit. She will have one year to provide an A1 language certificate. Is my understanding correct?

Thank you very much for your precious time.

17
Hi hysan,

I am a PhD student here at Neuchatel and I recently arrived with my husband (we are both Non-EU) last September 2020. I know the process quite well and I can answer your questions:

It will be way easier if you are married, just FYI.

1. Is she possible to obtain a dependent visa with working permission? What extra step I need to do during the visa application?

- You don't really need to do anything else. Once she will be granted the D visa (needed to enter), she will register in the canton and will get B permit (familial regroupment most likely, sorry my French is not up to speed) and that comes with working rights (permit activite or something).

2. As she is also thinking about whether is it possible to work for one more year to save money before she comes here. Is it possible to apply for a dependent visa after one year I came to Switzerland?

- Yes, you can apply after you've arrived but I heard the process is longer. We applied together (UK embassy as we were both Irish residents at that time) and the process was very fast. Yes, requirements are different but always contact canton beforehand - I find they're always helpful.

3. As my salary is not high, is it possible to support the basic living costs in Lausanne for the two of us?

- Yes, it's possible. We currently live in Neuchatel (I earn the same as you) and I'm still able to put aside at least 500 CHF per month. Of course, we eat at home and I live near the uni but I think very doable actually. Plus, we even get to do the occasional going out when we want to!

As for your language question, she will need to enroll in a French school, finish the whole course, and get the certificate. As we are PhD students and our permit is temporary, the cantons are waiving the need for a FIDE passport (I checked) so any certificate that she has completed the course will be enough.

18
Oh, you need to wait for your B permit to arrive before you can start the family reunification process. To start this, she will need to apply for her D visa (needed in order to enter the country). Once this is approved, she can now enter Switzerland and can now register at the canton and get her B permit.

Technically, spouses are required for a language certificate annually to be able to renew their permit.

19
Thank you very much for your comment! Did you ask the university to apply for a permit for your husband before you two apply for a visa? As my university said they can help my future wife to apply a permit if we get married before June otherwise I have to do the paper work by myself but due to current situation seems we cannot make it. Thanks a lot and all the best!

20
Got it! Thanks!