A Swiss diploma is indeed a strong trump card for anyone taking their first steps in an international career
A Swiss diploma is a strong trump card for anyone taking their first steps in an international career. And in principle, the Swiss economy itself could use foreign specialists with a Swiss education. However, as the portal Swissinfo.ch notes, graduates who are not citizens of EU countries face strict and complex migration rules and barriers.
Anyone wishing to study in Switzerland who does not hold a passport from an EU/EFTA country must prepare to spend significant time and money just to gain access to the entrance exams of their chosen university. And along with confirmation of admission to these exams, the future student must obtain the appropriate entry visa in advance, and upon arrival in the Confederation, they are required to apply for a residence permit (usually category "B" and without the right to full-time employment) in the canton where they plan to stay for study purposes.
Untapped potential
Those who manage to overcome all these obstacles can gain considerable benefit and a "bonus for the future" from studying at Swiss universities with their excellent international reputation. Let us recall that in almost all truly authoritative international rankings, the higher schools and universities of the Confederation regularly occupy the highest positions. Having a Swiss diploma is indeed a strong trump card for anyone taking their first steps in an international career.
Few people, however, know that graduates with diplomas in so-called MINT subjects (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and engineering) would be in demand specialists in Switzerland itself. They would be, but this does not happen. According to the Swiss cross-sector employer association Economiesuisse, after receiving a diploma, only 10-15% of graduates with passports from non-EU/EFTA countries stay in Switzerland and find a niche in the local labor market.
The main reason for this situation is the migration restrictions in place for specialists from so-called "third countries," while former students covered by the agreement on freedom of movement and settlement signed between Bern and Brussels face no such obstacles. The quotas (numerical limits) established under Swiss migration law for issuing residence permits to citizens of "third countries" do not affect such graduates.
A significant "stumbling block" is also the too short period within which foreigners from "third countries," after finishing their studies, must find a job and start their professional career. "While university graduates in other countries can look for work for up to three years, in Switzerland they have a maximum of six months. And even for this 'time to start,' they must submit a corresponding application to the authorities," Economiesuisse critically points out.
If they do not find a job within six months, the former graduate is forced to leave Switzerland, taking with them all the potential and experience accumulated here.
Problems with finding a job
Ken Tsai from Taiwan could well have started working for a private Swiss company after obtaining a master's degree from ETH Zurich in the methodology of creating driver software based on the "Common Simulation Engine" technology. But his application for a residence permit with work authorization was rejected by the authorities. "Due to problems with a work permit in Switzerland, I went to Germany, which turned out to be much more accommodating to expats like me," he said.
He is not the only graduate of a Swiss university who, being a citizen of a "third country," was forced to leave Switzerland. Annick Lombard from the University of Neuchâtel tells us this, based on the results of her own expert study "Integration of Foreign Graduates into the Swiss Labor Market."
"Citizens of 'third countries' face problems finding work in Switzerland much more often," she says. "Because when you finish your studies, the basis for your stay in the country disappears, and accordingly, the residence permit previously issued to you as a student ceases to be valid. You now need to submit a new application for a new residence permit, and again, you must have some other basis, i.e., a reason for being in Switzerland. Such a basis can be job seeking. Under current Swiss law, on this basis, you have the right to apply for a residence permit for a maximum of six months."
Lack of information
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find practical information on this matter on the official websites of cantonal governments. "The lack of information and the unclear application process can prompt a graduate to leave Switzerland and start looking for more attractive offers in other countries," says Annick Lombard. Six months allocated for job hunting is very little, especially compared to Europe, where citizens of "third countries" are allowed to look for work for an average of 9 to 18 months.
Ariel Fakhrai from Philadelphia (USA) found a position at a university spin-off company after obtaining a master's degree in natural sciences from ETH Zurich, but as soon as she changed jobs, problems with obtaining (renewing) a work permit immediately arose.
The critical position of the Economiesuisse association regarding excessive migration restrictions for professionals and specialists from "third countries" finds support in the Swiss parliament as well. Recently, both its chambers, the larger National Council and the smaller Council of States, approved a parliamentary initiative proposing not to apply quotas for issuing residence permits to graduates of Swiss universities from "third countries" who have obtained a degree in a field where there is a shortage in the country, so that they can immediately start working calmly in an industry experiencing an acute shortage of qualified personnel.
"A Plus in the Resume"
The decision has been made, and now the Swiss government, the Federal Council, must prepare a corresponding amendment to the current migration legislation. After that, according to Annick Lombard, it will become more profitable for employers to hire qualified graduates from "third countries." For now, companies are required to submit a separate request to the authorities for each such specialist, justifying why they cannot find anyone from Switzerland or EU/EFTA countries for this position. But even if the authorities consider such justification convincing, a work permit may not be issued if all the quotas allocated for the given year have been exhausted.
Of course, employers would welcome being relieved of such administrative and bureaucratic burdens, especially considering that such foreigners who have studied in Switzerland would not be in direct competition with similar foreigners from third countries who have not studied in the Confederation and are recruited directly from abroad. "Although it should be noted that graduates of Swiss universities already have work experience in Switzerland, they speak at least one national language of the country, which, one way or another, is already a big plus in the resume," explains A. Lombard.
Are Internships Possible?
From the perspective of Economiesuisse, another difficulty would also disappear in this case. Currently, as the association informs, students are not allowed to undergo practical training to gain initial work experience, which is absurd. "They have no opportunity to do an internship or practical training either during their studies or within the six-month period allotted for job search," points out this leading economic association of Switzerland.
That may be so, but in Switzerland, as always, everything depends on the canton. And at least in the canton of Zurich, as the local migration authority responsible for issuing work permits claims, issuing a "permit for an internship is possible if the relevant university confirms that it is a mandatory internship that is an integral part of the corresponding educational program."
In turn, the ETH Zurich states in response to a request from the SWI portal that "within some study programs, internships are a mandatory element, in others only recommended, which allows one not to 'waste time' and quickly start a professional career."
Therefore, our advice: if you want not just to study in Switzerland and get a diploma, but also to find a job here, it would be a good idea to clarify the possibilities for internships or practical training in advance, while still studying.
Romantic Grounds
"Work is certainly the most important basis for obtaining a residence permit," says Annick Lombard. However, social ties—closeness to relatives, friends, the prospect of starting a family—are no less important.
"During their studies, students often establish relationships that can later play a very important role in their lives or careers, including romantic ones. In such cases, it is very important to consider the presence of two people with two career prospects, and also not to lose sight of the issue of combining work and family life as effectively as possible.
Marriage and registered partnerships in Switzerland can qualitatively affect migration and legal status, becoming another basis, along with work, for staying in Switzerland, allowing one to obtain a residence permit with a work permit, especially if a person from a 'third country' marries a Swiss citizen," reminds A. Lombard.
Too Much Bureaucracy
If a citizen from a country not in the EU or EFTA, for example, an applicant with a passport from a former Soviet republic, wants to study in Switzerland, they should prepare for a bureaucratic super-marathon. They will have to fill out a pile of applications and forms and prepare a mountain of documents, starting with a detailed biography, continuing with a motivation letter and convincing proof of financial solvency and suitable housing in Switzerland.
Do you have a wealthy relative in Switzerland ready to cover all possible and impossible expenses? Or is your father an oligarch? Then you have no problems. No relative and no banker father? Then the applicant must attach a bank statement showing a sometimes very substantial amount. For example, the canton of Zurich requires that the applicant have 21,000 francs in their account, and necessarily in a Swiss bank.
Immigration formalities (visa documents, residence permit) are handled at the cantonal level, i.e., in the canton where the student wishes to settle for study purposes. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), one of the country's leading universities, for example, proactively assists foreign students and helps them navigate bureaucratic difficulties by publishing an online guide and sample documents.
Peter ZIEGENTHALER.
Translation by Nadezhda Kapone.