Until recently, each canton designed its naturalization procedure according to its own patterns, but now they have to say goodbye to this "free-for-all." The introduction of more or less uniform "Citizenship Tests" in the cantons is leading to a gradual standardization of such an important procedure as naturalization. The goal is to eliminate, as far as possible, the influence of irrational factors; however, the question of the level of professionalism of migration office officials and the degree of objectivity of municipal authorities remains as relevant as before.
"It's much easier to get a driver's license than to become Swiss," says Luca Cirigliano, a lawyer and attorney, Secretary General of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (Schweizerischer Gewerkschaftsbund). Indeed, the naturalization process in Switzerland can be compared to a marathon run with numerous obstacles.
"Candidates for citizenship must be prepared from the outset to devote a significant portion of their time to going through the various stages of the naturalization procedure," says Monika Waldis, head of the Center for Political Education and History Teaching Methodology at the Center for Democracy in Aarau.
Where to study?
Can one learn to "become Swiss"? This question is very ambiguous. It mixes language issues, identity problems, and the degree of awareness of how society in the country actually functions and by what laws. And it is precisely here that, perhaps, one can indeed learn something elementary by sitting at a desk.
For two years now, trade unions in Switzerland (SGB) have been offering, in both German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland, the opportunity to attend a one-day preparatory course designed for "candidates for Swiss citizenship." Beer, that is, pardon, participation in the course for union members will, as expected, be free; for others, this pleasure will cost a hefty 410 francs.
"In the first half of the day, we give students an overview of the constitutional and legal foundations of Switzerland, basic social and political procedures, and explain what requirements are imposed on citizenship candidates in individual cantons," says L. Cirigliano. "The afternoon is devoted to more practical aspects, for example, how to take and pass the naturalization knowledge test."
Since last year, the "Education Center of the Migros Retail Group" has been offering similar but more extensive preparatory courses in the cantons of Bern, Zurich, Vaud, and St. Gallen. The program consists of 12 lectures, during which listeners are told about Swiss democracy, federalism, rights and duties of citizens. Lectures are also given on geography, history, languages, religions, culture, holidays, and traditions of the country.
In exchange for 300 francs, the "Center" guarantees participants adequate preparation for the naturalization exam, and this is very important because everyone who wants to obtain a Swiss passport must take and pass it with a positive result before the naturalization process itself begins.
This is how it works, at least in the canton of Bern, where the test includes 48 multiple-choice questions on topics such as history, geography, religion, democracy, insurance, healthcare, and education. One can prepare for "becoming Swiss," for example, in Zurich at the "Welcome" center, which also offers lectures in Russian.
Preliminary selection
The questions for the test in the canton of Bern were compiled by a working group led by Urs Kernen, head of the "Integration and Languages" department at the Training Center in Interlaken. Preliminary selection of questions is a very difficult task. "What should every Swiss man and woman know? How to measure the degree of integration? Answering these two questions is the most difficult task for us," notes U. Kernen. You can see for yourself by downloading a sample questionnaire with questions from the Training Center's website.
For example, in 2016, candidates were asked what the name of Switzerland's national hero is (answer: William Tell), in which field – sports, music, architecture, or science – Gölä, Sina, Beatrice Egli, and Stephan Eicher became famous. The answer is music; these are all names of popular rock and pop performers in the country.
Here are more examples: what number should you dial to call emergency services (answer: 144), which parties are represented in the government? Well, is it difficult?
To pass the test, you need to answer at least 60% of the questions correctly. "Since 2014, about 3,200 people have successfully passed the test in the canton of Bern, which is 83% of the total number of applicants for citizenship," says U. Kernen. "Those who fail can retake the test a few months later, but of course with different questions." However, each such attempt costs 300 francs.
Language exam
However, to start the naturalization process, a successfully passed knowledge test is not enough. Since 2014, before applying for citizenship rights in the canton of Bern, a candidate must, for example, provide documented results of a language test proving appropriate knowledge of German or French (Bern, by the way, is an officially bilingual canton).
Speaking Goethe's or Flaubert's language must be at level B1; for the written test, level A2 is required – overall, these are standard requirements for European countries. However, cantons may impose stricter conditions, as done, for example, in the cantons of Schwyz or Nidwalden. There, they require the written level to be at least B1 and the spoken level at least B2.
Standardization
"We are systematically moving towards increasing the degree of standardization of naturalization processes, regardless of the municipality in which the candidate resides," says Monika Valdis, who deals with methodology and organization of educational processes at the Center for the Study of Democracy in Aarau. She and her staff prepared the questions for the official civic knowledge test for the canton of Aargau. The test consists of 240 questions, with multiple-choice answers for each question.
Not all questions need to be answered, only 45 randomly selected ones. To allow practice, sample questions and answers are posted on the cantonal website. Luca Cirigliano, for his part, published a work in 2010 titled "How Integration Is Measured: A Socio-Legal Study on the Analysis of the Degree of Integration Based on the Results of Naturalization Processes Using the Example of the Canton of Aargau." The study showed that especially in small municipalities, the interview aimed at determining the candidate's level of integration is conducted by members of local boards or simply officials, rather than a specially created professional naturalization commission. Moreover, in some cases, interviews with candidates lasted less than 15 minutes, which, according to L. Cirigliano, is too little for an in-depth assessment of a person's readiness to "become Swiss."
In 2018, eight years after the publication of this work, much has changed in Switzerland, including at the legislative level. However, some recent examples, such as the refusal of the municipality of Buchs in the canton of Aargau to grant citizenship to a young and very well-integrated Turkish woman, remind us that standardization is not necessarily synonymous with or a guarantee of professionalism and objectivity.
How much does naturalization cost?
In the canton of Aargau, the overhead costs for processing citizenship amount to 2,350 francs: 1,500 go to the budget of the municipality where the candidate resides, 750 to the canton, and 100 to the federal budget.
In addition, the candidate must budget an additional amount of 900 to 1,000 francs. This will cover the cost of attending preparatory courses for the naturalization procedure, including preparation for the civic knowledge test, the test itself, and the exam confirming sufficient knowledge of the language of the region of residence.
Luca Betti.
Translation and adaptation by Nadezhda Kapone.