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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Brexit: What Brits in Switzerland make of the rights agreement with the UK

The Local spoke to the British Residents Association (BRA) to get their view on the citizens rights agreement between Switzerland and the UK.

Published: 10 April 2019 21:41 CEST
Brexit: What Brits in Switzerland make of the rights agreement with the UK
Photo: AFP

Switzerland and the UK agreed on a bilateral agreement to protect the rights of Swiss nationals in the UK and UK nationals in the EU in December 2018, before most EU nations had offered, or at least made public, such guarantees.

“This includes arrangements on residency, access to healthcare, pensions and education, social security coordination and mutual recognition of professional qualifications,” read a statement from the UK's Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) at the time. 

The agreement affects around 43,000 UK citizens living in Switzerland and 34,500 Swiss nationals living in the UK.

“BRA membership is generally satisfied with the UK-Swiss citizens’ rights agreement and happy with the support and information being provided by the UK Embassy in Bern,” Graham Robertson, BRA's chairman, told The Local by email.

As the EU and the UK continue to try and encourage the UK parliament to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement, which would protect the rights of 1.2 million UK citizens living in the EU and 3.5 million EU27 nationals in the UK, BRA expressed satisfaction that UK nationals in Switzerland are now covered, regardless of the outcome of those negotiations.

“There appears to be a general acceptance that the UK-Swiss citizens’ rights agreement safeguards the existing position of those resident in Switzerland and satisfaction that this removes these rights and benefits from the ongoing negotiations between UK and the EU,” added Robertson.

Most of BRA's members are long term residents, often retirees who have raised families in Switzerland and will be able to meet the conditions to obtain long term residency under the terms of the bilateral agreement on citizens' rights.

“The rights envisaged in the citizens' rights agreement are valid for life,” Lukas Rieder, a spokesman for Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), told The Local. 

UK nationals who arrive however after the UK's withdrawal date, currently Friday April 12th – in the event of a no-deal exit – would be subject to quotas and would have to demonstrate employment or proof of a “lucrative activity.” A total of 3,500 temporary work permits would be granted to UK nationals who arrive after the UK's exit date until the end of 2019, according to a statement by Swiss authorities.

READ ALSO: Switzerland to set quotas for Brits in event of no-deal Brexit

“We have been told by the Swiss authorities that the level of the interim quota is based on the past rate of arrivals of UK subjects. Our understanding is that the long-term quotas have yet to be determined,” BRA's Robertson told The Local.

“The quota is likely to have more of an effect on industry, commerce and particularly the tourist industry,” added Robertson.

READ ALSO: Confirmed: UK nationals won't need visas for Switzerland after Brexit

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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Why are wealthy foreign residents far more likely to become Swiss citizens?

Getting a Swiss passport can be a lengthy procedure even under the best circumstances. But as a new study reveals, the process is even more onerous for low-income candidates.

Published: 24 May 2024 11:26 CEST
Why are wealthy foreign residents far more likely to become Swiss citizens?

The survey, carried out by researchers from the Universities of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Basel on behalf of the Federal Migration Commission, shows the effects of the law enacted in 2018 on ordinary naturalisation.

Specifically, the study report indicates that nearly two-thirds of naturalisation applications are submitted by “highly qualified and wealthy people,” the Federal Council said on Thursday.

“The share of highly skilled and affluent people has increased significantly, and the number of low-skilled and lower-income people has dropped considerably,” according to the Federal Council.

Applications from people who only had a compulsory-level education dropped from 23.9 percent to 8.5 percent.

“Highly qualified foreigners, on the other hand, represent 57 percent of naturalised citizens, compared to one-third under the old law.”

Why is this?

In 2018, new, more restrictive criteria for naturalisation were introduced.

From then on, only C-permit holders living in Switzerland for at least 10 years are eligible to apply for citizenship.

Furthermore, to be naturalised, candidates must meet new integration criteria, including tougher language skills and economic independence requirements.

“For low-skilled and less well-off people, overcoming these pitfalls is a challenge, as it is more difficult for them to acquire the necessary written and oral language skills,” the Federal  Council pointed out.

“In addition, for them the risk of having to resort to social assistance is higher.”

Receiving financial aid from the government precludes naturalisation; neither federal nor cantonal / communal naturalisation commissions will grant citizenship to foreigners who have been receiving public money, even if they meet all the other requirements.

That’s because part of the integration definition is “personal responsibility, self-sufficiency, and participation in the country’s economy.”

This means applicants should be working and earning money rather than relying on the government to support them.

The same applies to people who have active debt collection proceedings against them.

To authorities, both these cases show that the applicant is not sufficiently integrated to merit a Swiss passport — even though such conditions often cannot be met by low-earners.

In fact, many of these people may not even qualify for a C permit, which is required for naturalisation.

“People with low qualifications or those from the asylum field are increasingly excluded from the naturalisation procedure,” said Manuele Bertoli, president of the Federal Migration Commission.

“This is due to stricter criteria and because the obstacles have been clearly raised. Access to naturalization should be designed in such a way that it serves the integration of society as a whole.”

Why are only people applying for ordinary, rather than simplified naturalisation, concerned?

That’s because conditions for the facilitated (also called ‘fast-track) procedure are less strict, as  they apply mostly to spouses of Swiss citizens, people born in Switzerland to foreign parents, and children of Swiss parents — either biological or adopted.

READ ALSO: Five ways you can fast-track your route to Swiss citizenship 

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