Swiss citizenship will not be obtained by "welfare recipients" and offenders
As NashaGazeta.ch writes, a year ago Switzerland adopted a new law on granting citizenship of the Confederation. Along with reducing the required period of residence in the country to 10 years, it establishes a number of additional conditions that cut off the path to obtaining a Swiss passport for certain categories of residents (we wrote about this in more detail earlier).
The new law has not yet entered into force: for its practical implementation, the government has developed a special instruction that clarifies certain provisions and establishes clear criteria to determine the degree of integration of the candidate, language proficiency and compliance with other conditions. This week, the relevant document was put forward for discussion by interested parties.
Recall that, in accordance with the new law, only holders of a residence permit of category "C" can apply for Swiss citizenship, provided they have successfully integrated. This is confirmed by knowledge of one of the official languages, respect for the constitutional values of the Confederation and observance of order, as well as participation in the economic life of the country and contributing to the integration of the candidate's family.
The government proposes to set the language requirements for obtaining a Confederation passport at level B1 for oral speech and A2 for written, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). In the opinion of the Federal Council, such a level, not too high in our view, is quite sufficient for everyday communication. Foreigners whose native language is among the official languages of the Confederation, as well as those who have studied in Switzerland, will not need to take an exam, while others will have to obtain a corresponding certificate.
Furthermore, the Federal Council proposes to clarify the situation regarding candidates who are dependent on social assistance or have previously violated the law. Criminal punishment, even under current rules, is an obstacle to naturalization, the government reminds in an official press release: the Confederation denies citizenship to foreigners with criminal records. In a similar manner, the possibility of obtaining a passport with a white cross is excluded for applicants who have received social assistance during the three years preceding the application, or who are dependent on state support during the naturalization procedure.
Among other things, candidates for citizenship will have to sign a "declaration of allegiance", confirming their readiness to respect fundamental rights enshrined in the country's basic law, to respect the principles of the rule of law and the democratic-liberal order of Switzerland.
The government decree also establishes the procedure for interaction between the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and other federal and cantonal services involved in the naturalization procedure. In particular, the time allotted to cantonal services for collecting and submitting material about the candidate to SEM is set at six months. SEM is given 4 months from the receipt of the complete dossier to make a decision on granting citizenship (6 months in the case of a simplified procedure).
The amount of mandatory fees for processing documents by SEM, which will henceforth be charged predominantly in advance, varies from 50 to 500 francs. For example, spouses of Swiss passport holders who are entitled to a simplified procedure will have to pay a fee of 500 francs, while for ordinary categories of adult citizens the amount is set at 100 francs.
Recall that the government draft is open for consultation until November 19, after which the new conditions for obtaining Swiss citizenship will be finally determined.