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I want to live in Germany with my wife (same nationality as me), but work in Switzerland (and stay in a flat in Zürich) during the week.

I know I will need a Grenzgänger (cross border commuter) permit for Switzerland.

If my job was in Germany, I would qualify for a Blue Card (I have a degree, and my salary clears the minimum very comfortably). However it is not clear that I can apply for a Blue Card on the basis of a job in Switzerland.

What options are open to me?

(Background: I am already doing this - but we are British citizens, which means at least until 29th March we just use free-movement rights. On 30th March there is a frighteningly high chance we are going to cease being an EU/EEA national. Germany and Switzerland have both promised transition arrangements, but we may well fall in the cracks.

I would like answers to this question to concentrate on the options open to general 3rd-state nationals (eg from India or USA). If necessary, I can ask another question about how to make use of transition arrangements.)

Martin Bonner supports Monica
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  • If you spend the week in Zürich, you may spend more than 180 days/year in Switzerland. That would make you a resident there (and potential tax evaders if you pay your taxes in Germany). – Diego Sánchez Jan 11 '19 at 13:30
  • @DiegoSánchez I pay tax in Switzerland too. – Martin Bonner supports Monica Jan 11 '19 at 13:46
  • What is your wife's citizenship? I assume she is also a non-EU/EEA national? – Kyralessa Jan 23 '19 at 10:45
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    @Kyralessa For the purposes of the this question my wife is non-EU/EEA too. (She is British too). – Martin Bonner supports Monica Jan 23 '19 at 10:47
  • My impression is that your situation won't change much. Your priority in the quotas will go down since you're not EU/EEA. I'm married to an EU citizen, and I also live in Germany and work in Switzerland, but I'm American, so I'm subject to the quotas. For employment purposes in Switzerland my being married to an EU citizen doesn't seem to matter since I don't actually live in Switzerland. I think the bigger question is how it will affect your living in Germany, but so long as you remain employed I think you'll be fine. But I can't speak with authority on all this. – Kyralessa Jan 23 '19 at 11:01
  • @Kyralessa Currently (as an EU citizen) I am not subject to quotas at all. You are fine living in Germany because you are living with your EU citizen wife; I won't be. – Martin Bonner supports Monica Jan 23 '19 at 11:02
  • @MartinBonner No, but as an EU citizen you do still fall in priority behind a Swiss citizen if working in Switzerland. At least it is my understanding that Swiss citizens hold priority over EU citizens for jobs in Switzerland. After Brexit, as a 3rd party national you'll fall behind Swiss and EU citizens, of course. – Kyralessa Jan 23 '19 at 11:13
  • @Kyralessa I think your understanding is wrong. At the moment I don't need any permission from Switzerland to work. Whether my employer prefers British workers or Swiss workers is entirely down to them. There is the possibility for the Swiss government to say that for certain industries, firms may only employ EU workers if there are no Swiss workers available - but they haven't yet done so. – Martin Bonner supports Monica Jan 23 '19 at 12:36
  • This is the kind of thing I was judging by: 2014 Swiss immigration initiative They do call it a "light national preference", though, so maybe in practice it's a fairly toothless law. – Kyralessa Jan 23 '19 at 12:53
  • @Kyralessa The initiative was passed, but the Federal Government has failed to implement it (they have implemented the rule I described, but then not used it at all). – Martin Bonner supports Monica Jan 23 '19 at 12:59

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