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Swiss to vote on passport rules for 3rd gen foreigners

The Swiss people will go to the polls next February to vote on whether it should be easier for third generation immigrants to become Swiss citizens.

Published: 12 October 2016 11:10 CEST
Swiss to vote on passport rules for 3rd gen foreigners
File photo: Martin Abegglen

The subject will be one of three issues to be voted on in a February referendum, news agencies reported on Wednesday.

The issue of citizenship for the grandchildren of immigrants has been the subject of intense discussions in parliament of late.

Unlike in many other countries, people born in Switzerland are not automatically granted citizenship if their parents are not Swiss, but can apply to be naturalized under certain conditions. If neither their parents nor grandparents were Swiss, they could be the third generation of a family living in the country without citizenship.

At the moment the cantons set down their own rules regarding the naturalization process for third generation foreigners, but the federal government is trying to make the it easier by revising the law at federal level.

Under the proposed revision to federal law, a third generation foreigner could be granted simplified naturalization – as opposed to the longer process of ordinary naturalization – if they were born in Switzerland, have a C permit (permanent residency) and have completed at least five years of compulsory schooling in the country.

At least one of their parents must also have a C permit, have gone through the Swiss school system, and lived in Switzerland for at least a decade.

The conditions, finally agreed upon in parliament in September, also stipulate that the applicant must prove that at least one of their grandparents was either born in Switzerland or had permanent residency.

The simplified process will only be open to those aged up to 25 years old, in an attempt to stop people from shirking their military service obligations by only applying for citizenship after that age. If the new law is approved at referendum, people aged 26-35 will have five years from the time the law comes into force to place their application.

Since the new law requires a change to the constitution it must be approved by the public before it can come into force.

The Swiss people will vote on the issue on February 12th, along with two other initiatives – a tax reform for businesses, and a project aimed at providing funding for roads.

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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

EXPLAINED: How to speed up your Swiss citizenship application

The naturalisation process in Switzerland is quite slow as it makes its way through two levels of the government — cantonal and municipal. But can be accelerated in certain cases?

Published: 25 April 2024 14:45 CEST
EXPLAINED: How to speed up your Swiss citizenship application

You have waited a long time (more than a decade in most cases) to be able to apply for Swiss  citizenship, so when you do, you may be eager to hasten the process.

The Swiss (and that includes the government) don’t like to be rushed, and that penchant for slow deliberations includes naturalisation procedures. The usual wait time from the moment you apply and receive your citizenship is typically between 12 months and two years.

Usually, the wait time is shorter for those applying for the fast-track naturalisation — for instance, people married to a Swiss citizen, or foreigners born in Switzerland — than for people going through the ‘regular’ process.
 
READ ALSO: Five ways you can fast-track your route to Swiss citizenship

Is there a way to make the process go faster?

You can’t jump the line or ask the cantonal or municipal authorities responsible for naturalisation procedures to hurry up.

In fact, such as a move could ‘red-flag’ you as a candidate unworthy of Swiss citizenship because impatience and not following the proper due course could be seen as lack of integration.

There are, however, ways to speed up the process in other ways.

You can do so by following the application instructions to the letter, that is, knowing what documents you need to submit with your application, and making sure you have all the required  paperwork (read more about this below).

This is especially important if you apply in a canton with a high volume of citizenship applications, like Geneva, Vaud, and Zurich, because the wait there will be all that much longer if authorities inform you that such or such document is missing and you still need to send it in.

How should you apply to ensure the smoothest possible process?

This may sound evident, but many applicants may not know where to send in their application.

It should be submitted to authorities in your canton of residence.

What documents should you send in with your application?

All cantons require you to submit a copy of your C permit, and proof of language proficiency acquired from a registered language school in Switzerland.

Other requirements may vary from canton to canton, but they are also likely to include (as, for instance, in Geneva):

  • An extract from the Swiss civil status register, not older than six months
  • A certificate from the tax administration, dated less than three months;
  • A certificate from the prosecution office, less than three months old;
  • A certificate of successful completion of the test validating knowledge of history, geography, as well as Swiss and cantonal institutions.

It goes without saying that if you send in your application but one of the necessary documents is missing, then your application will be put on hold until you provide what’s needed. That will delay the whole process.

So it follows that the best way to ‘speed up’ the entire procedure is to practice the Swiss qualities or organisation and preparedness.

READ ALSO: When can I start counting my residency in Switzerland towards citizenship?

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