I'm a non-EU PhD student in Fribourg. I got connected to a professor in the US and is planning to go for a research visit for 5-9 months. We tried to apply for a scholarship from the university but it didn't work out on the first attempt. My professor here would like to support me to go by paying me the PhD student's salary as normal while I (kind of) remotely work in the US for the agreed period.
I have asked the local immigration authorities about my B permit for below six-month and above six-month periods and their answers are the same:
If my B permit is revoked/on hold, can I still receive the salary, pay the tax and pension, and keep my bank accounts in Switzerland? I will still need to come back to finish my PhD after the visit.
Basically, you can’t do it. You would need to close everything, deregister and hand back your permit and then attempt to get a new one to continue your PhD afterwards.
Also I doubt your bank would be happy with you being in America since unless you bank with UBS, Credit Suisse or PostFinance, no bank will have anything to do with anyone who has the remotest connection to the US.
In a word no. And not alone that, I'd advise you to be very careful not to do anything that would give the authorities the opportunity to refuse you a permit when you need to come back.
This is challenging one because when you leave the Schengen zone there will be a stamp in the passport and a record in a database of the day you left. If you return after the limit for B permit......problems in CH. Also, if you have no income in the US, you're there as tourist which is max 180 days. Problems in 2 countries a quite interesting situation.
One way around the limits is to schedule one travel or two back to CH for a week, so limits for B permit are followed. Not sure if the trick can be pulled of or it's simply too risky because you'd working without a permit in the US.
Another option is to be sent as posted worker to the US from Switzerland. I remember from the university some special paperwork was done when people went to work to Greenland or any other frozen place near the North Pole for several months in a row. So, look for posted worker abroad from Switzerland A posted worker is someone with a contract here, paying social security here, health insurance and taxes but that due to job requirements needs to work abroad for a while. https://www.arbeit.swiss/secoalv/en/...ntsendung.html
Posting workers is relatively simple within EU countries, my colleagues move around the EU. No idea for the USA, we're too expensive over there....damned Mexicans!
1. About US visa: for the stay in the US, I think I'll need to apply for J1 visa which will need the financial support in general (so my Swiss salary will be a strong point for that visa application and that's why my professor still would like to pay for me).
2. About salary for doctoral research abroad, I'm apply for a similar scholarship to this one: https://ethz.ch/en/research/research...-mobility.html . Actually, they explicitly mentioned that the student should receive the salary from the university. I encounter the same requirement that I have to keep my registration at the university (even if I get the scholarship). How could this be possible if the lost of permit will cause the student to deregister everything?
I work in academia and know of several instances of non-EU PhD students working in the US on a J1 visa for a few months (usually 2-3, not the 5-9 like you suggested). They remained registered in Switzerland and continued to receive their Swiss student salary. It is a very common thing to do. The scholarship you gave a link to is meant to cover additional expenses related to working abroad, but your normal salary should remain unchanged, and you should remain continuously enrolled in your doctoral program.
In my experience people at the migration office can be very wrong sometimes, and the response you get to a request can vary depending on which person you ask. I think the person who responded to your request is either inexperienced or misunderstood your request. Perhaps they think you are doing some sort of exchange where you will register as a student at the American University? I can imagine that would be problematic, but you should be able to temporarily work abroad as a visiting student/scientist, although going beyond 6 months might make things more difficult.
My advice would be to ask the secretary of your doctoral program for assistance in communicating with the immigration authorities. I'm sure the secretary has encountered such a situation before, and might be able to assist you with making sure your Swiss permit is maintained while you are in the US.
I hope this works out for you! Being able to work in a new lab in a different country is a great experience, and can open doors for future collaborations.
One more thought: I'd definitely avoid using the word "exchange" to describe your situation. This implies registering as a student at another university and is probably what is causing confusion. You are rather hoping to travel to the US as a "visiting scholar" or "visiting PhD student".
That's a good point. I stated it as "un séjour de recherche aux États-Unis" when I wrote to the local authorities but I could be wrong as my French is not very good. I should check with my colleague on this.