'Buying' a residence permit in Switzerland today is significantly cheaper than investing in citizenship of other countries
As Nashagazeta.ch writes, in this country there is even a special tax regime for them, which implies calculating obligations to the budget not based on income, but 'on expenses'. And almost any wealthy foreigner can obtain a residence permit in Switzerland. Such a document can be issued by a canton to a person from a 'third country' completely legally if their presence is justified by 'important public interests'.
The cantons have a certain room for maneuver granted by the Law 'On Foreigners'. Paragraph b of Article 30 of this document states that standard requirements for residence of a citizen of another country in Switzerland can be waived if it concerns 'important public interests'. According to the information portal impotdapresladepense.ch, in this case the cantons have the opportunity to independently assess how desirable the presence of a foreigner is on their territory from a cultural or tax point of view, and issue relevant documents on this basis. Representatives of the State Secretariat for Migration note that most often it is about financial interests.
According to the publication Nordwestschweiz, in 2016 the exception provided for by law was made for 523 foreigners. Topping this list are Russians, who received 165 permits. They are followed by Turks (36 permits), Americans (21 permits), Canadians and Brazilians (17 permits each), Serbs (16 permits) and Ukrainians (15 permits).
What exactly motives guided the cantons – tax, cultural or other important public interests – is not reported. It is only known that the most sought-after and hospitable was Ticino, which issued 200 documents. Recall that in this canton, a local initiative to abolish the lump-sum tax (a tax privilege for wealthy foreigners) was rejected in 2014.
At a respectful distance from Ticino are Geneva (91 permits), Zurich (41 permits), Vaud (30 permits), Obwalden (22 permits) and Valais (20 permits). Geneva in recent years could not decide on its attitude to the 'expenditure' tax, eventually tightening its conditions. Zurich, in turn, became the first Swiss canton to abolish this privilege for wealthy foreigners back in 2009. Thus, the presence or absence of a lump-sum tax system in a canton is not the main factor in this case, although it is likely taken into account by candidates when choosing a place of residence.
Among the rare cantons that do not issue residence permits on the basis of 'public interests' are Solothurn and both Appenzells. But perhaps their migration services simply have not been approached by worthy candidates?
Meanwhile, a residence permit of category 'B' opens the way to acquiring Swiss citizenship, notes Nordwestschweiz, reminding that after five years its holders can obtain a permanent residence permit of category 'C', and after a little more time – a passport with a white cross.
Unlike many countries where the process of obtaining a residence permit is associated with significant investments in real estate or business, settling in Switzerland is not so expensive, the newspaper concludes, citing for comparison the 'rates' of other regions.
Thus, to become a citizen of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, located on the islands of the Caribbean Sea, you need to pay 250 thousand dollars (and living there is not necessary at all). A residence permit in Canada can be obtained in exchange for an investment of 800 thousand Canadian dollars, Hong Kong's 'threshold' is set at 1.3 million dollars. In Portugal, foreigners can get a Golden Visa by investing half a million euros in real estate, similar rules exist in Ireland.
In Switzerland, according to Nordwestschweiz, applicants for a residence permit of category 'B' will have to spend only 50 thousand francs on intermediary services. Let us add that in this case one should not forget about the main requirement: to meet 'important public interests'. For example, according to federal legislation on lump-sum tax, its payers must spend at least 400 thousand francs per year, while cantons may set stricter requirements.
Thus, in our opinion, settling in Switzerland is not so cheap, but opportunities for this – especially when it comes to entrepreneurs working in the innovation sector or highly qualified specialists – certainly exist.