I am a postdoc (life sciences) from the UK, residing in Vaud since 2021. I am nearing the end of my contract (early 2026, which is when my renewed permit B will presumably end as well). I am thinking of staying in Switzerland for my next position. I am looking for openings now but there is a possibility that this job search process might take longer and could surpass my contract end date.
I have been reading into on what precisely happens after the contract end date if I do not manage to secure a position here by then: for some, permits can be extended if they have registered for RAV (which I will do once I get my renewed permit). Or do I have to go home straight after? Has anyone been on the same/similar boat who could share their experience?
If you’ve been here since 2021 and are paying homage insurance, then you most definitely have the right to claim chomage. If you’re permit expires during your chomage they will renew it. At least, that was the way it used to happen. But assuming you are single, the chomage lasts just over a year, after which your permit will expire again.
I suggest you go talk to the local chomage office; they should be able to tell you how it works, the rules may have changed since it happened to me.
I don’t think this is the case for non-EU people; that was always a big difference between EU and non-EU permits. I think you will have unemployment insurance until your permit expires, but the RAV will not renew the permit.
Good luck with your job search! Your best bet is to talk to immigration authorities in your canton directly.
Thank you both, this is the conflicting info that will need clarification when I visit RAV. The thing is that my contract ends 1 Mar 2026 and my (renewed) permit presumably expires 6 Mar 2026, if @LiquidPaper is right, there is no time for unemployment insurance to ever be given to me so no hope for permit extension? I guess I can “stay” at my own expense for 90 days as a “tourist” after, but that would be a last resort as I have limited funds.
Thing is, if you don’t have a contract before your permit expires and you stay here to job hunt for 3 months any Swiss employer is going to have to prove they can’t find a Swiss/EU national to do the job before they might be allowed to hire you. As a non-EU national you’re behind the others and there are conditions that both the employer and you have to meet for any permit to be granted.
You’ll get a letter to renew your permit a few weeks before it expires. At that point you still have a work contract which you can provide to the gemeinde.