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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Can I still get Swiss citizenship after claiming social benefits?

Switzerland’s naturalisation criteria is among the toughest in Europe, with many applicants experiencing additional complications on the road to citizenship. Is depending on social aid one of them?

Published: 14 April 2023 12:33 CEST
Updated: 2 March 2024 11:45 CET
Can I still get Swiss citizenship after claiming social benefits?
Many people want it, not everyone will get it. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

From the length of residency to language and integration requirements, conditions for obtaining a Swiss passport are strict, especially for those applying under the ordinary naturalisation procedure rather than the simplified one.

The steps and requirements for both are outlined in this article:

How to apply for Swiss citizenship: An essential guide 

In order to be eligible for naturalisation, you must fulfil a number of requirements, all of which are listed on the website of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). 

While not depending on social assistance is not specifically mentioned, 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.

Who is entitled to receive social aid in Switzerland?

This kind of financial aid is intended for residents who have insufficient income to support themselves and / or their families.

In Switzerland, this means wages below 2.259 Swiss francs a month for a single person, or 3.990 Swiss francs for two adults and two children.

Many of the recipients are newly arrived and have no jobs or income of any kind.

Amounts of payments vary based on personal circumstances.

However, to be eligible for government help, applicants cannot have any assets of their own. If they have money in the bank, own property or vehicles, they will not qualify for public assistance until the assets are liquidated.

Why is this so?

One of the most important conditions for citizenship is to be successfully integrated.

SEM defines integration as “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.

READ ALSO: What does being ‘successfully integrated’ in Switzerland mean?

So if you are receiving welfare benefits, and have been within three years before seeking to be naturalised, you are not eligible to apply for Swiss citizenship.

However, if you have completely repaid the amount of social aid you received before the naturalisation application, then your chances of obtaining Swiss citizenship are much greater.

Receiving assistance also doesn’t bode well for your work permit.

The Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA) provides for the possibility of downgrading or revoking the permit of a person receiving social assistance.

This means authorities may decide to downgrade permanent residence permits to temporary ones, or withdraw them altogether, if someone has applied for benefits.

The revision of FNIA in 2019 extended the consequences of social assistance even to C permit holders, meaning that sweeping rights and protections normally conferred by this particular permit in relation to long-term permanent residence could be nullified.

This would impact not only third country nationals, but also EU/EFTA citizens living in Switzerland.

READ ALSO: How applying for social benefits could see your Swiss work permit cancelled

But there is more.

You can also see your bid for citizenship denied if you have debts or, worse yet, there are debt collection proceedings against you.

In its handbook on naturalisation, SEM notes that “compliance with Swiss law is measured in particular by an exemplary financial reputation”.

SEM goes on to list non-payment of taxes, health insurance premiums, fines, rents, or accumulation of debt as valid reasons for denying citizenship.

READ ALSO: How personal debt could stop you from becoming Swiss 

What about unemployment benefits?

There is nothing in the FNIA law referring specifically to unemployment, so no, this would not be held against you in the naturalisation process.

If you have been legally working in Switzerland for at least 12 months in the last two years and contributing to the social insurance scheme, then you are entitled to receive unemployment benefits.

Since you ‘earned’ these benefits fair and square, they can’t be considered as free handouts, and therefore would not hinder your citizenship application.

READ ALSO: Which foreign workers are entitled to unemployment benefits in Switzerland?

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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Do you need permanent residency to become a Swiss citizen?

There are many eligibility criteria to be met before applying for naturalisation. But is living in Switzerland one of them?

Published: 17 April 2024 14:01 CEST
Do you need permanent residency to become a Swiss citizen?

If you have gone through the naturalisation procedure — or are planning to do so — you probably know all the requirements you need to fulfil.

There is the language proficiency, successful integration, and yes, length of residency as well.

This implies that you must actually live in Switzerland a certain length of time as a permanent resident before being able to seek citizenship.

This rule also extends to foreign spouses of Swiss citizens, who must live at least five years in the country — including three years before applying for naturalisation. 

What exactly does this mean?

In Switzerland, ‘permanent residence’ for the purpose of naturalisation means that you must have a ‘settlement’ C permit — the highest in Switzerland’s permit hierarchy, and the only one allowing to apply for citizenship.

Most foreigners in Switzerland, especially those coming from the EU or EFTA nations (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) ‘worked their way up’ from the B to C permit through residency — typically five years.

In case you come from non-EU / EFTA states (including the UK), then your wait to ‘upgrade’ from a B to a C permit is twice as long — 10 continuous years.

There are, however, some exemptions from these rules.

For instance, Americans and Canadians are on par with their EU/ EFTA counterparts: they can also apply for a C permit after five years of continuous residence on a B permit.

Another exemption to the length-of-residency rules are Switzerland-born foreigners who have lived in the country since birth and are automatically holders of a C permit.

READ ALSO: Why does Switzerland have two kinds of C-permit holders? 

So in that sense, applicants for citizenship must be permanent residents of Switzerland who have a C permit.

But there are some non-residents who can become Swiss citizens as well

This is where the so-called ‘citizenship by ancestry’ kicks in.

You may apply for citizenship via the ancestry route through paternal or maternal descent, regardless of your place of birth and whether you actually live in Switzerland or not.

According to the Swiss Citizenship Act, you are considered Swiss if your parents are married to each other and either of them is a Swiss citizen

You may also apply for facilitated naturalisation if you are the child of a female Swiss citizen, even if your mother is not married to your father.

This process is not automatic, however; you will still have to prove that you have close ties with Switzerland — for instance, through family interactions or regular visits to the country.

If, however, you are the child of a Swiss father not married to your mother, the situation is slightly trickier.

In such as case, you can acquire citizenship at birth (or later) so long as the father’s paternity is established. In this case, too, you will need to prove your close ties with Switzerland.

In all these cases, you don’t have to live in Switzerland at all (or only occasionally) and still apply for a Swiss citizenship.

READ ALSO: The bizarre reasons applicants have been denied Swiss citizenship
 

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