In Switzerland, citizenship applications can be rejected by town councils if the applicant is not deemed to be fully integrated. In large communes (French) or Gemeinde (German), such as big cities, the process is quite administrative. You sit tests and if you pass you get a green light. In some small towns however decisions can become […]
New figures reveal British racing to apply for Swiss citizenship
According to Swiss broadcaster RTS, the number of British citizens applying to become Swiss has risen sharply. The steepest rise was in the canton of Vaud, where the number rose 71% in 2016. 473 applied in 2016, compared to 276 in 2015. In Geneva the number rose 60% from 90 to 145. In 2015, there […]
Swiss naturalisation to get tougher in Vaud
20 Minutes. The canton of Vaud needs to make naturalisation tougher in response to changes to federal law. The government of Vaud is trying to retain some room to manoeuvre but wiggle room is set to be limited. Last week, Philippe Leuba, Vaud’s head of the economy and sport, told the press that the draft bill dealing with naturalisation […]
Swiss to vote on fast-track citizenship for third generation immigrants
On 12 February 2017, the Swiss electorate will vote on the Federal Decree on the Simplified Naturalisation of Third-Generation Immigrants. Switzerland is well known for its strict citizenship requirements. Currently, most foreign nationals must live in Switzerland for twelve years before applying, and prove they are well integrated. There are numerous young foreigners living in […]
Swiss citizenship refused for wearing the wrong clothes
20 Minutes. It seems Scottish comedian Billy Connolly’s saying: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing…” can be applied to applications for Swiss citizenship. The newspaper Basellandschaftliche Zeitung, recently reported that a Kosovar family had been refused citizenship in the Swiss town of Bubendorf in the canton of Basel Landschaft. One […]
Confusion surrounds start date of tighter Swiss naturalisation rules
GHI. Expected to come into force on 1 January 2017 across the country, confusion now surrounds the date the new rules will take effect, reports the Geneva weekly newspaper GHI. Bernard Gut, director of Geneva’s population and migration office (OCPM), told RTS in early March the new rules would be applied from 1 January 2017. Now […]
Family involved in school handshake refusal applies for Swiss nationality
The Basler Zeitung, has learned that the family of the two brothers who refused to shake the hand of their female teacher at Therwil secondary school, in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, has applied for Swiss nationality. The brothers, 14 and 15, requested exemption from handshakes for religious reasons and the school’s administration granted it, according […]
Geneva encourages foreigners to become Swiss before rules change
Back in June 2014, the Swiss parliament passed a law which changed the number of years of residence required to qualify for Swiss citizenship, the type of residence permit you must have before applying, and the age band within which one year of residence counts as two. The new law only allows those on permanent […]
Foreigners scramble to apply for Swiss passports
Le Matin. Towns in the canton of Zurich have been overwhelmed with citizenship applications over the last few weeks. Some like Uster have seen applications increase 5-fold. What’s behind this sharp spike? According to the Tages-Anzeiger, the recent initiative due for vote on 28 February 2016, that could see over 10,000 foreign criminals deported from […]
Government makes getting a Swiss passport harder
20 Minutes. In June 2014, Swiss citizenship requirements were tightened allowing only those with permanent residency permits (e.g. a C permit) to apply, excluding anyone on a different permit such as a B permit. Yesterday the federal council issued a proposed ordinance which tightens requirements further. People receiving social assistance and a wider range of […]
