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Switzerland is a small mountainous country located in central Europe. This landlocked country is about the size of New Jersey and is between France and Italy. It is also bordered by Austria, Germany, and Liechtenstein.
Most of the population lives in the plateau which is between the high Alps in the south and the Jura mountains in the north. The mountainous area in the south is sparsely populated.
Switzerland is known as the highest salary and living standard country in the world. It is also the place where people have the highest level of satisfaction with life both physically and mentally. According to the website of the OECD developed countries, the average income of the Swiss people is 46,000 USD / year, nearly 23,000 USD higher than the OECD group. So it is not surprising that Switzerland has become a dream destination for many people wishing to settle in to Switzerland.
Due to its high quality of life, work opportunities, education, better healthcare, and even its scenic nature, Switzerland is a very popular country to immigrate to. Only in 2018, over 140,000 people immigrated to Switzerland overall, including both EU/EFTA and non-EU/EFTA nationals.
Switzerland immigration policies and conditions differ, however, depending on what nationality you are.
Moving to Switzerland is far easier for EU/EFTA citizens, who have no quota restrictions, than it is for non-EU/EFTA citizens who are subject to annual quota restrictions.
Switzerland is not part of EU (European Union), but it does enjoy a lot of its benefits due to its participation in the EFTA (European Free Trade Association).
The EFTA countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) are joined with the EU through the EEA (European Economic Area), and as such, there is free movement and a free market between all of the member countries on those agreements.
The Freedom of Movement Act allows EU/EFTA citizens to move to Switzerland freely and enjoy the same benefits in regards to work, residence, and treatment. EU/EFTA citizens do not need a visa for entering Switzerland, but they do need to register and apply for a Swiss residence permit if they want to live there long-term (more than three months.)
Furthermore, Switzerland is also part of the Schengen area, which consists of 26 countries that have established visa and border control-free travel between them. Citizens of Schengen countries can also move to Switzerland without a visa but have to apply for a residence permit for stays exceeding three months.
There are no restrictions on how many EU/EFTA/Schengen citizens can immigrate to Switzerland and obtain a residence permit annually.
Switzerland is attempting to curb the number of non-EU/EFTA immigrants it receives every year.
To that end, it has imposed strict annual limitations in regards to how many residence and work permits it grants to non-EU/EFTA citizens.
Furthermore, if you are not an EU/EFTA citizen, you will most likely need to apply for a Swiss long-stay (national) visa to be allowed entry to the country in the first place. Only after you receive your long-stay visa, you can enter Switzerland and proceed to apply for a Swiss residence permit.
After receiving your Switzerland long-stay visa (for non-EU/EFTA nationals) the next step towards immigrating to Switzerland is getting your residence permit.
Everyone has to apply for a residence permit if they want to move to Switzerland, even EU/EFTA nationals.
You apply for a residence permit at the cantonal immigration office of the canton you want to immigrate to. Switzerland consists of 26 cantons who are responsible for issuing residence permits and work authorisation to the immigrants who want to take up residency in that particular canton.
You must apply for a residence permit within 14 days of entering Switzerland.
Typically, immigrants who want to move to Switzerland for the first time will be issued one of the following residence permits:
This is a Switzerland permit for short-term residence, valid for up to one year. It can be renewed, but only to a maximum of 24 months.
The Switzerland L Permit is issued to immigrants who move to Switzerland to work in a specific job or company. If you have the L permit and wish to change jobs, you may not receive a new permit.
The Switzerland B Permit is for initial or temporary residence. It is issued for up to five years to EU/EFTA nationals, and for one year for non-EU/EFTA nationals. It can be renewed as needed.
It is called the initial or temporary residence because after having lived in Switzerland for 10 consecutive years with a B Permit, you can apply for a Switzerland Permanent Residence Permit (Permit C).
After you have lived in Switzerland for 10 continuous years, you will be eligible to apply for a Swiss Permanent Residence Permit (C Permit). Once you are a permanent resident, and have lived in Switzerland for 10 years, you can apply to become naturalized as a Swiss citizen. Previously, the required residency period before becoming eligible for naturalization was 12 years.
You may be eligible to apply for Switzerland permanent residence or citizenship earlier in particular cases. For example, if you are the spouse of a Switzerland national or a second generation child resident.
If you are an EU/EFTA national, you can apply for permanent residence or citizenship after only 5 years.
Both Switzerland permanent residence and citizenship offer a lot of the same benefits. For example, you will no longer have any restrictions when it comes to employment – you can work for whoever you want and change jobs as you like. You can buy property without restriction, open your own business, and live wherever you want in Switzerland. You would also have access to social assistance and welfare benefits, same as a Switzerland citizen.
However, the added benefit of being a Swiss citizen is that it gives you the right to vote and to stand for public office, which you do not have a permanent residence permit. But the procedure of becoming a Swiss citizen is longer. Swiss citizenship also brings more obligations, such as having to do military service (applicable only to men aged 18 to 34.)
Switzerland is ranked as the happiest country in the world. Despite of its small area, Switzerland is peaceful, wealth and prosperous. So it is an ideal destination for those who wish to settle down in Europe. Here’s 6 reasons for why you should settle down in Switzerland.
1. Switzerland- The safest country in the world
One of the top criteria for choosing a country to settle in is safety. Living in a safe and peaceful country, your life will be guaranteed and developed.
Switzerland has been a neutral country without any wars since 1815 until now. Therefore, Switzerland is proud to be the location of important international organizations with its headquarters such as the United Nations in Europe, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Trade Organization.
In addition, in case of a nuclear war, Switzerland has built shelters and bunkers from urban to rural areas to meet 100% of the population. So if a war suddenly happens, the Swiss people will still be safe.
2. Settling in Switzerland to enjoy the world’s leading quality of life
According to surveys of the quality of life index, Switzerland is the best country to have children. Switzerland is paying special attention to public services and social security, where children are raised better than any other countries in the world.
Switzerland’s facilities are extremely great such as advanced transportation systems, modern communications, superior power supplies …
Switzerland’s tax system is also very reasonable with many incentives. Therefore, you can settle in Switzerland with a stable life while being able to make your own business plans.
3. Switzerland with the least crime rate in the world
The social security of Switzerland is very good and the crime rate is the lowest in the world. Swiss people respect for laws and regulations very seriously, so people are very aware of their compliance with the laws set by the government.
4. Switzerland with the highest per capita income in the world
Did you know that Switzerland is the country with the highest per capita income in the world? Although the average working time is low, only 35.2 hours/week (working time in the UK is 36.4 hours, in Spain is 38 hours, in Turkey is 48.9 hours) but Swiss people’s average earnings before tax is about 6502 France per month equivalent to about $6500).
5. Settling in Switzerland to enjoy quality education
In addition to effective social policies, Switzerland is also famous for being the country with the best education in the world. Switzerland always invests in improving the quality of training, giving students the opportunity to study through both theory and practice. In particular, Switzerland’s tourism, hotel and restaurant industries are considered to be the best in the world.
6. Beautiful nature
Switzerland is endowed by nature with lakes, rivers, streams, mountains, hills… all intertwined, making Switzerland extremely beautiful. Besides that, Switzerland’s nature also gives people a sense of peace, safety and romance.
You can become settled in Switzerland permanently in one of two ways: with a Permit C or becoming a Swiss citizen through the process of naturalization. Swiss permanent residence offers a lot of the same benefits as the Swiss citizenship, such as:
The only things that you are not allowed with a Swiss residence permit, but you can do with Swiss citizenship, are:
In addition, along with Swiss citizenship, come all the obligations of other Swiss citizens, such as men aged 18-34 being required to finish military service.
Becoming a Swiss citizen is also a much lengthier and more expensive procedure, which is why many are satisfied to remain in Switzerland with only a Permit C.
Getting citizenship in Switzerland is not simple. Applicants must meet certain parameters to do so. The following section of the article lists the details of the eligibility criteria for getting citizenship in Switzerland for Indians.
While submitting the application form, applicants need to provide the following documents. Without these, the board will not process their application any further.
The Swiss government permits multiple nationalities and citizenships. For example, an Indian applicant can quickly get Swiss citizenship without renouncing Indian citizenship. However, in other cases, if the birth country of an applicant does not allow dual citizenship, he/she will have to renounce the previous citizenship for settling in Switzerland.
If the applicant has a C-residence permit in Australia, he or she will be eligible for a family reunion in Switzerland. The eligible relatives or family members include a partner or spouse and children under 18. If you are planning to bring your entire family through a residence permit, you need to prove a residence large enough to accommodate them. You also need to show sufficient financial resources. However, these are for a residence permit, and there are no specific rules regarding the citizenship of the entire family.
There are specific rules for getting citizenship when it comes to children. If they lived in Switzerland between 8 and 18 years, the time would be counted as double. This means that they can apply for citizenship within five years of residence.
A child born in Switzerland is not necessarily a Swiss citizen. He or she needs to have at least one parent who is a Swiss citizen, whether by birth or naturalisation. However, if both the parents are non-citizens of Switzerland, the child will have to apply for citizenship within five years of residence, between 8 and 18 years.
With its excellent quality of life, high wages and low tax rates, it’s no surprise that Switzerland is increasingly popular with job-seeking graduates.
Competition for Swiss jobs is fierce and opportunities are more limited for those coming from outside of the EU or EFTA (European Free Trade Association), as there are often quotas for jobs in Switzerland for foreigners, even for highly-skilled, well-qualified specialists.
However, finding a job in Switzerland is possible, including a small selection of jobs in Switzerland for English-speakers, especially in sectors where there are high shortages of skilled workers. In multicultural Switzerland, however, language is often key to finding work in Switzerland.
Switzerland also houses a number of multinational companies including:
The United Nations, World Trade Organisation, the Red Cross, the World Economic Forum and the International Olympic Committee also call Switzerland home.
Switzerland is currently struggling with a lack of skilled workers in the following areas:
The hospitality industry also finds it difficult to recruit staff. Graduates with skills and qualifications in these areas are in high demand.
The Swiss economy is stable and the Swiss unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the world, standing at 4.3% in March 2020. However, foreigners account for almost half of those who are officially without work.
Cross-border workers also continue to play an important role in Switzerland, with some 332,177 cross-border workers active in Switzerland in the three months to the end of June 2020.
Many large multinationals have based themselves in Switzerland, largely due to favorable Swiss tax conditions. Nestle is the largest company in Switzerland in terms of number of employees, with 323,000 workers. Other large firms include:
Salaries in Switzerland are the highest not just among EU/EFTA countries but anywhere in the world. The gross median Swiss wage in 2018 was CHF 6,538. This varies across regions, with the highest average in Zurich (CHF 6,965) and the lowest in Ticino (CHF 5,363).
The Swiss appreciate sobriety, thrift, tolerance, punctuality, and a sense of responsibility, and they reflect this in their business practices, which tend to be formal and conservative. The culture within a Swiss company can vary according to whether the company is in the French, German or Italian regions of Switzerland.
Swiss workers get a minimum of four weeks of holiday a year, plus public holidays. For workers aged under 20, this extends to five weeks a year.
Most employees will receive a written employment contract. This contract details employment rights, including conditions of termination of contract. The notice period for either party is in the contract. If not, the Code of Obligations regulates the minimum period which stands at:
The maximum number of working hours per week is 45 hours for industrial workers and 50 hours for all other employees.
Following the UK’s departure from the EU, travel rules for UK citizens changed on 1 January 2021. You can travel to countries in the Schengen Area (which includes Switzerland) for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
If UK nationals plan to work in Switzerland, or stay for more than three months, you must apply for the correct visa and work permit. There are different types of Swiss visas and permits depending on the kind of work you do and the length of your employment. However, as a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, UK jobseekers can no longer go to Switzerland to look for work.
Only a limited number of third country workers (which includes the UK) are admitted – primarily those who fulfil management level, specialist or other qualified work.
If you intend to stay for longer than three months, you’ll need a residence permit. To acquire one, you’ll need to register with the communal authorities where you’re living. You’ll need:
Within three months of arriving in Switzerland you must also take out valid health insurance.
