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WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

Can foreigners choose where to live in Switzerland or does it depend on your permit?

If you are about to move to Switzerland, or are already here but want to change your address, there are some things you should know.

Published: 9 October 2023 16:31 CEST
Updated: 8 June 2024 09:18 CEST
Can foreigners choose where to live in Switzerland or does it depend on your permit?
Depending on your origin and work permit, you can't just pack up and move. Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash

The first thing you should know about Switzerland (if you don’t already) is that this country has many rules — both written and unwritten ones.

Some of them relate to where foreign nationals can and cannot live—an important piece of information if you are looking for a place to settle in.

In a nutshell, your residence options depend on your nationality and the kind of work permit your hold.

EU / EFTA

If you have a passport from an European Union state, or else Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein (which, along with Switzerland, are part of EFTA), then your choice of domicile is wide open.

Due to the Free Movement of Persons Agreement (AFMP) between Bern and Brussels,  nationals of EU / EFTA get an almost unlimited access to Switzerland, as well as sweeping rights overall, which include being able to change jobs and move from one canton to another. 

In other words, if you a citizen of the 27 countries within the EU and three within the EFTA, then you can settle anywhere you want in Switzerland, provided you have a residence permit from the Swiss commune in which you are living, or moving to.

READ ALSO: Just how freely can EU citizens move to (and within) Switzerland?

However, this freedom to settle wherever you want within Switzerland is more restricted for citizens of third nations — that is, those from outside the EU / EFTA.

Less rights, more limits

People from third countries have far fewer privileges—not only in terms of being allowed to work in Switzerland in the first place, but also regarding the canton where they can choose to settle.

You may have heard good things about a specific location in Switzerland, but unfortunately you can’t just live anywhere you want, unless, of course, you are very wealthy. 

According to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), “admission of third-state nationals to the Swiss labour market is only granted if it is in the interests of Switzerland and the Swiss economy as a whole.”

This means that permits / visas will be granted only to highly skilled specialists who can’t be recruited from among Swiss or EU/EFTA workforce.

If you fall under this category and are permitted to work in Switzerland, you must, in principle, live in the canton where your employer is located  and can’t freely move within Switzerland. This is because your permit is not automatically transferred to, and valid in, another canton (there are, however, some exemptions to this rule, explained below).

You can, however, move from one municipality to another, as long as you remain within the same canton.

What happens if you must change jobs?

While you can’t just pack up and move to another canton if your permit is tied to a specific job and a specific location, there are some situations when you may be allowed to do so —but you must obtain an official permission first.

The rules differ according to the kind of permit you have.

According to SEM, holders of a short-term L  permit “may be allowed to change jobs if they cannot continue to work for their current employer or if they cannot reasonably be expected to do so.”

“However, they must remain within the same sector as well as the same profession, and the change of job will be permitted only if it has not been necessitated by the employee’s own behaviour.” 

Those with a B permit, can, generally speaking, change their employers without the need for authorisations, unless the residence permit is linked to a specific job.

However, relocations will not be permitted if a person is unemployed or there are grounds for revocation of their permits.

Another scenario under which non-EU / EFTA nationals could be granted the right to move is if their company relocates to another canton, or wants to send the employee to a subsidiary in another canton.

In both these cases, a transfer is generally allowed, as long as the new permit is granted by the canton in question.

And there is one more exception

The exemptions cited above concern third-country nationals who are employed in Switzerland under a B or L permit.

If, however, you are a non-EU / EFTA national who has a permanent residence status (that is, the coveted C permit), then you can move freely from one canton to another, and settle anywhere you want.
 
 

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For members

WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

Six ways working in Switzerland is better than in the US

Sometimes it is difficult to compare different systems because much of the context is missing. But when looking at employment conditions in Switzerland and the United States from a purely factual perspective, some conclusions can be drawn.

Published: 14 June 2024 14:23 CEST
Six ways working in Switzerland is better than in the US

In terms on politics, social system, demographics, and economy, Switzerland and America are, both literally and figuratively,  worlds apart.

But if you are a US citizen who is moving to Switzerland for professional reasons (and lucky enough to be granted a work permit as a third country national), then you may want to know how the Swiss employment system compares with the American one.

Let’s look at general differences — that is, laws and practices applicable to the working population as a whole, and not just relating to the most fortunate employees like top-level executives, who typically have more benefits than the rank-and-file workers.

Wages

Much depends on your professional level, of course, but generally speaking, on average employees in Switzerland earn more than their US counterparts.

An average annual income in Switzerland is about 80,000 francs, while in the US it amounts to $59,428 (53,000 francs).

You may argue that cost of living is lower in the United States, so the money foes further there. This is true in a general sense, but on the other hand, taxes are lower in Switzerland.

Workers in Switzerland have more statuary protections

Swiss law grants certain rights to its employees, which the US legislation doesn’t.

For instance, Swiss workers are entitled to at least four weeks’ of paid vacation time per year.  

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about annual leave in Switzerland

In the US, on the other hand, there is no statutory minimum paid vacation. Instead, this is left up to the employers’ discretion.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about one–third of private industry workers received 10 to 14 days of paid vacation after one year of service. After 10 years of service, 33 percent of private industry workers received between 15 and 19 days of paid vacation.

‘Sick days’

Swiss employment law only mandates that employers offer basic paid sick leave: generally, three weeks in your first year in the job, rising with each additional year to around four months max, depending on the canton.

However, many Swiss employers take out insurance that covers a more generous sick pay deal.

In the US, on the other hand, no law guarantees workers a single paid day off, and many aren’t even entitled to unpaid time.

According to BLS, only 77 percent of the private sector workforce has paid sick time. This means that almost one in four workers do not have even a single paid sick day. 

Work-life balance

This phrase is used to describe a division of time between work and leisure activities. This means the ability to successfully combine work, family commitments, and personal life .

Here too, Switzerland (and Europe in general) has a definite edge.

The Better Life Index by the Organisaton for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), found that  “in Switzerland, full-time workers devote a similar amount of their day on average to personal care (eating, sleeping, etc.) and leisure (socialising with friends and family, hobbies, games, computer and television use, etc.) as the OECD average of 15 hours.”  

 In the US, on the other hand, employees devote “less than the OECD average of 15 hours” to their non-work related activities.

Health insurance

Most US residents who are employed get their health insurance through their company.

In Switzerland, on the other hand, individuals are responsible for purchasing their own policies from one of the dozens of insurance providers.

It is difficult to say which approach is better; however, not having one’s health insurance tied to (and dependent on) a specific employer means that a person won’t be left without a coverage if he or she loses their job — even more so, considering how expensive medical care is in the United States.

READ ALSO: How does Switzerland’s healthcare system compare with the US? 

Unemployment benefits

If you have worked — and paid into the Swiss social security system — for 12 months in the past two years, you are entitled to 260 days (approximately 37 weeks) worth of unemployment allowance.

In the case that you had been employed for at least 18 months, you will collect for 400 days.

Workers in most US states, on the other hand, are eligible for only 26 weeks of unemployment allowances.

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