Easing of Immigration measures during Covid-19

The Federal government announced on the April 29th, 2020,  the easing of measures related to restrictions for entry into Switzerland related to COVID-19.

As of 11th May, 2020:

• Permit applications, filed before 25th March 2020, will be processed by the competent authorities in the order they were received. Where Geneva is concerned, we are informed that the authorities will begin processing requests that were filed and are pending since mid-January 2020.
• It will once again be possible for Swiss and EU citizens to requests permits for family reunification.

In compliance with the Federal immigration directives, foreigners who temporarily are subject to social assistance because of the COVID-19 will not be judged for this assistance during the renewal of their permits. The Geneva government has confirmed this in its announcements.

Based on the above, our recommendations:

1. If you need to request a work permit for a foreign employee, know that the filing will not be accepted in Geneva but may be acceptable. The examination will be suspended and maybe even rejected –  unless it is for someone very skilled in the health sector.
2.  To avoid hassles at the airport / border in case of family regroupment, contact the Swiss immigration authorities beforehand
3. If you are hesitating  – to seek partial or technical unemployment benefits for your employees, or loss of income benefits for       yourself as a business owner  – because of your concern for the renewal of your work permit, this is currently not an issue if the assistance requested is in relation with COVID-19.

As a reminder, please see :

http://www.e-avocats.ch/en/practical-aspects-for-swiss-permits-and-visas-during-the-covid-19/

If you need more assistance, we remain available by email or WhatsApp video conferences to assist you with your legal issues during these uncertain times.

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