Job Discussion Forums

[Maverick]

Hi there,

I have a query on the visa status of a Thai national coming to Switzerland with an EU husband (me !). I obviously can work there no problems but what about my wife ? Will she be able to work on a spouse visa / are there any visa types I should be looking at ?

Any advice appreciated,

Thanks, M.

[spiral78]

1. I am not entirely sure, but you may need to double-check whether any EU citizen does indeed have a right to live/work in Switzerland. The country is not fully reciprocal in many aspects.

2. I am the spouse of a Czech citizen, and am therefore entitled to live and work in the Czech Rep, but this does NOT give me the right to live/work in any other EU member countries.

If you are not Swiss, your wife may not be able to gain legal working status.

3. Such laws vary from country to country. I suggest your best source of info may well be the Swiss Embassy website.

[dagi]

Actually the OP not being Swiss but a EU national should work in favour of his Thai wife.
Switzerland is participates in the freedom of movement treaty (sorry for my lack of accurate English vocab, I'm trying my best!).

Switzerland has a certain contingent of work/residence permits for EU nationals available per year (because of the bilateral treaty with the EU, this regulation will be abolished in the near future and it should be even easier for EU nationals to move to Switzerland).

Being the citizen of a EU country means, that OP is not subject to Swiss law but EU law and this guarantees the freedom of movement of EU citizens AND their spouses.
This means that the OP's wife should be issued a work/residence permit once the OP has obtained his and can prove sufficient income.

I know two couples personally who are citizens of EU/EEC countries and their wifes received work/residence permits instantly but both of those couples lived in the Netherlands (one German/Polish, one Norwegian/Japanese).

You can find more information on this website:

[url]http://www.ejpd.admin.ch/ejpd/en/home/themen/migration/ref_schweiz_-_eu/ref_aufenthalt_der.html[/url]

[dagi]

From the FAQ of the mentioned website:

"Are the family members allowed to work in Switzerland?

family members of EU/EFTA nationals are granted an EU/EFTA permit even if they are third-state nationals. They may take up gainful employment. However they have to notify the cantonal authorities prior to doing so. "