How young foreign professionals can easily obtain a Swiss work permit

Are you young, completed your education abroad and fancy a job in Switzerland? – No problem thanks to the Stagiaire agreements!

1. What is a Stagiaire agreement?

Switzerland has entered into bilateral agreements with various countries outside the EU/EFTA area with the purpose of giving young professionals (stagiares/trainees) the opportunity to deepen their professional knowledge abroad and at the same time improve their foreign language skills in an uncomplicated manner and irrespective of the current labour market situation (Art. 30 AIG and Art. 42 VZAE).

2. Which countries are participating?

Switzerland currently has trainee agreements with 13 countries worldwide. Particularly worth mentioning are Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, USA and Russia. However, there are also agreements with smaller and economically less significant countries, namely Argentina, Chile, Monaco, the Philippines, South Africa, Tunisia and Ukraine.

3. What are the criteria?

In order to be admitted to the Swiss labour market as a trainee, an applicant must be a national of one of the above-mentioned contracting states and fulfil the following conditions:

Aged between 18 and 35 years (Australia between 20 and 30 years, New Zealand and Russia between 18 and 30 years).
Successfully completed vocational training (apprenticeship, university of applied sciences, university).
The professional activity in Switzerland must be in the learned profession
Salary is in line with local and branch standards (entry-level basis).
The duration of stay and work is max. 18 months.
Part-time work and self-employment are not permitted.

If a company employs several trainees at the same time, they may not account for more than 5% of the total workforce.

4. What must be included in the employment contract?

Basis for the permit is a signed employment contract. In addition to the usual conditions regarding salary, probationary period, working hours, holiday entitlement, duration of the employment (max. 18 months) etc., a further training programme, deployment schedule, coursework etc. must be included.

5. What is the approval procedure?

The application, including all necessary enclosures, must be submitted by the foreign national to the competent authorities in the home country. It can be submitted in German, French or English (the official application form can be downloaded from the website of the State Secretary for Migration, SEM). The foreign authorities forward the application to the SEM for approval. While the application is being reviewed, the applicant may not yet reside in Switzerland. The decision will be communicated by the SEM to the authorities in the home country, who then issue the documents required for entry and employment.

Like all foreigners who take up residence in Switzerland in order to get gainful employment, young professionals must also register with the residents’ registration office at their place of residence within 14 days.

By Urs Haegi & Andrea Elvedi, Vischer, Switzerland, a Transatlantic Law International Affiliated Firm.

For further information or for any assistance please contact switzerland@transatlanticlaw.com

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