Hello Andy,

I believe that if you don't have a job at that time you will lose your permit.

Best regards

Totally depends on so many criteria!  You need proof of financial means to stay in Switzerland -- that may be an employer but you could be self-employed too..  Or on chomage even....

S if your permit comes up for renewal, you submit all the required documents and you see what happens...

Andy, do you qualify for chomage?  I have been told that chomage will renew an expiring permit provided you're actually entitled to collect chomage.  I don't know  what kind of permit you'd get, however.

Chomage do not renew a permit... They will give it until the date on your permit... Only :(

Just to clarify - I'm not in this situation, I'm just curious about the what-if scenario.

It doesn't seem to be particularly logical for chomage to expire with the permit, if someone was employed in Switzerland for 5 years and is then only unemployed for the latter months of the contract.

I read something somewhere about needing to not have been on chomage for longer than a certain period of time to automatically get a C permit otherwise it switches to a B, or something along those lines.

And just from personal experience, I believe EU-15 B permits are probably treated different that non EU-citizens here.

You can see how unclear it is when you see the individual responses here haha.

From what I know it is not chomage, it is if you are on other social like Hospice. their logic (from what I was explained to when I got my B permit) is you get the B permit, get a job, if you lose your job and go on chomage then thats bad luck and its ok but if you are on Hospice they think you are just lazy and why give you the C permit for you to continue being lazy. That is just how my lawyer told me.

Restricted or unrestricted B?  A permit tied to a specific employer might have different rules.

In practice, an annual permit is normally renewed as long as its holder is able to draw a daily allowance from the unemployment insurance. In such cases, however, the holder is not actually entitled to a renewal of the permit.

How's that for ambiguous language?  Sounds like in practice they will renew but they aren't compelled to do so.

Same link but for EU/EFTA nationals.   First-time renewal of the permit can be limited to one year, however, if the holder has been involuntarily unemployed for more than twelve consecutive months. Nationals from all EU/EFTA member states without gainful employment are entitled to a B permit if they can prove they have sufficient financial means and adequate health and accident insurance.

Interesting.

I was on Chomage for a couple of months when I got my C-Permit and had no problem at all getting it. There were no restrictions or any conditions tied to the renewal - but I think it might be up to each commune to do what they like - which can be a bit of a lottery. I guess I was lucky..

So it seems (if you have what the Swiss consider to be a European passport) that you are fine unless you've done something to annoy them or you've been on the dole for more than 12 months.

That's kind of the conclusion I'm drawing here.

Thanks a lot for the input everybody.

I believe the commune doesnt decide this, but the capital of the Canton. In Vaud your commune sends your papers to Lausanne for example. Then its Lausanne who send you a permit.

I started with an L permit. Then I got a B. When requesting my B they never asked me any documents regarding work, financial situation or such. I highly doubt my commune is able to obtain all that information. So I think the decision regarding permits is made at canton capital level.

"you get the B permit, get a job"

Its the other way around. Job > Permit

If you are in hospice, you are likely termally ill, hardly lazy.

So, I'm sure that's not what you mean? 

Does anyone know if this 5 years consideration to get a C permit needs to be 5 years continuously without stopping any number of years living in Switzerland? Does it matter if the 2nd year for example I was not living in Switzerland then the year after i came back again with B permit now?

Hi Jessica,

It depends on your passport.

Nationals from the 15 old EU countries and EFTA can get a C permit, valid for an indefinite length, after a regular and uninterrupted stay of five years in Switzerland. This permit allows holders to freely change where they live (cantons) and employers.

To non-EU-citizens, it is normally only given out after 10 years of residency in Switzerland (10 uninterrupted years):

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials/switzerland_how_to/work_life/Work_permits.html?cid=29191706

Hello Jessica,

Yes, the absolute minimum is 5 years of continuous, i.e. uninterrupted stay in Switzerland. For most third-country (= non-EU/EFTA citizens) nationals it's 10 years (in very rare cases an exceptional early application may be approved), and only years of "stable" residence permit count, e.g. years based on a conditioned work permit may not be taken into account.

I hope this helps.

I think Marcy was referring to the “Hospice general” which is a charitable institution in Geneva.

I wonder if anyone can share your experiences and give any tips on the documents required for applying C Permit.

For example the motivation letter, what are the important points?

For example what if it is rejected, will it affect your next time application?

Are there any additional documents that would be nice-to-have them?

Any tips are welcome! Thank you in advance.

A follow-up if anyone can share an example of the Motivation Letter or just some key points for this letter. Many thanks!