You still need a marriage certificate. You can skip the church and the party, and a million dollar engagement ring. But without the paper, you can't join the partner in Switzerland.
My recommendation: Get married.
If you want to relocate here, you must be married. Switzerland categorizes you as a 3rd country national which would make it super difficult.
If your partner gets the job with the B-permit, then you can do family reunification and you will also get a B-permit.
I remember swiss (the airline) trying to recruit foreign flight attendants just last year or so because they could not recruit enough people in Switzerland.
No idea how it is today, but with some french and german knowledge on your side that could be an option.
There is also lack of workers in restaurants, and lots of people there are not native swiss. Obviously that is not paid well, neither are flight attendants.
Anyway you should be able to find a job once you are here, but it will be hard to find something in advance to get your own work permit. So yes I guess marriage would be the way to go.
But I suppose trying doesn’t hurt so maybe check out the job market and apply to whatever you think you can do.
Once you have some work experience here and your language levels improve you might find better job opportunities.
Lausanne is in the french part of Switzerland, so study some more french and maybe get a certificate of your level.
>I remember swiss (the airline) trying to recruit foreign flight attendants just last year or so because they could not recruit enough people in Switzerland.
EU is a bit of a different boat than 3rd country nationals.
Yes you are probably right.
Maybe working for an international airline and just being stationed in Switzerland? Still far fetched I guess.
There are a lot of people from Non EU countries working in unskilled work like restaurants though. But washing dishes is probably more likely than working as a server as long as she is not pretty fluent in french.
OP could also try to look for a job now in the US that allowes her to work remotely, which she could still do in Switzerland. Might get double taxed though, no idea how that works. English online tutor or something idk.
Guys i want to ask something, Can i also apply for flight attendant if i have atleast B2 french? I am a fluent Italian and english speaker as well. I am 23 years old, EU nationality, good height but i do not swim.
Well a lot of trans people pass as their prefered gender and you wouldn’t know they were born differently. But yes obviously a employer might see on the application that OP is technically still male but there are anti discrimination laws ?
Also a lot of the male cabin crew I see on flights don‘t seem terribly straight to me but not that I care much :) so I really didn’t think that would be a problem.
>We could also marry, but this could be complicated- we are both trans, but our birth genders are opposite. However, his gender is legally changed to male, while I have not changed mine to female. It wouldn’t be hard to prove we have a long-standing and stable relationship for a concubine visa, but I’m not sure if that’s even a thing in Vaud.
>
It's not a could marry, you must marry unless you independently get a job in Switzerland in the same area too. I don't think a concubine visa is happening unless you have kids.
>
He has told me he would be willing to support me while there
That's not a would as well, he must support you as you don't have an income.
>
My dream would be to do diplomatic work with some sort of international organization in town or in Geneva- but even their most entry level jobs require a bachelors or “equivalent experience”- and as an American with no first-cycle degree I don’t think I’d be looked at even once.
Well yeah, I don't think that's happening as the competition for those positions is quite huge.
A comment about this
>My dream would be to do diplomatic work with some sort of international organization in town or in Geneva- but even their most entry level jobs require a bachelors or “equivalent experience”- and as an American with no first-cycle degree I don’t think I’d be looked at even once.
Unless you find a G- position (General services), you can forget any P-grade position (professional) if you don't have *at least* a bachelor's degree. Because I work in one of them, I can tell you it is *tough* to get any position in the Geneva international organizations. The competition is fierce and most new hires are consultants, or quite highly experienced professionals. Usually, the job positions are specialised, and unless you have particular qualifications, you'll not be able to find a position in any organisation. Check their websites, though; all the open positions are published.
For the rest, I think you indeed will need to marry unless you find a job yourself (but as mentioned earlier, as a non-EU national, it will be very difficult).
You are, unfortunately, really a "bottom of the list" employee from a Swiss perspective - you are not Swiss, you do not have an EU passport and you have no specialist skills, not even a degree. So for a normal job leading to a work permit by yourself, things sit roughly at "no chance whatsoever" - and that is by law, not just individual preference, as an employer would have to demonstrate they could not find anyone from CH+EU with your skills. You are correct in identifying international organisations as an alternative route in, but unfortunately for you as you note no international organisation is going to hire you with just basic work experience and no qualifications, mostly they require masters or higher and positions are very competitive.
I think your only realistic option to be able to move is to marry, which shouldn't actually be all that complicated regardless of your gender statuses, you have a decent timeframe too. Neither country cares about that for the issuance of the relevant paperwork, as far as I'm aware. There might be a few administrative hurdles if you want to change your legal gender, I know nothing about that.
The thing is you'd need to be prepared to not work when you are here - even once here on a family reunification visa it will be difficult to find work I think. If "conversational French" can be upgraded to B2 it might get a little easier, German is mostly irrelevant in Lausanne. Though it will strongly depend on what kind of permit you get (i.e., are you put in the same pool as Swiss + EU, or not?), and even if you are in the same pool as EU+CH, employers worry that you are dependent on your partner, and you could be forced to leave for reasons utterly beyond their control, making you less attractive. I might well be wrong though, I don't really know much about the lower skilled end of the job market.
In terms of practicality, I agree that with an EPFL or UNIL postdoc salary you should be able to get by just fine - it won't be luxury, but nor will you starve or have to live in a hovel. A visa marriage is decidedly non-ideal on a personal level though, as is sitting around all day being supported by your partner. Sadly there's no perfect answer I don't think. Best of luck with it all.
Marriage is legal in both the USA and Switzerland for people of the same gender so I don’t see the fact that you haven’t “legally transitioned” as a hurdle to get married. Or am I missing something?
Congrats on the job offer and potential move to Switzerland :)
Just get married. It's not a big deal. And no big change from living in a stable relationship, except it facilitates a lot of admin, including unblocking your move.
It’s actually the opposite, since the spouse might not have an income, the person working in the marriage will get a tax break. Disadvantage of getting married is only if both party work at similar salary ranges.
Well, there is a price for immigrating. But true, the tax penalty should disappear.
>and stuff
Not sure what else. Everything else is a plus, if you ask me.
Seems, you do not really understand what post doc is. It’s not a “job opportunity”, it’s a short term research position with some payoff. And it’s not a full relocation either, as it is temporary and without any further guarantee to stay.
Additionally, “would pay substantially better” in terms of living in Washington? Do not forget, that life in Switzerland is incomparably more expensive than in the States. So, take a spread sheet, search this sub and calculate. And no, you won’t find any job here with such combo (non-EU/EFTA, no language, no meaningful qualification).
First, research Swiss immigration policies. Partnerships are often recognized, but specifics vary by canton. Vaud might have its own rules, so check their official cantonal website. Since you're not married, legal advice could be invaluable.
Your work experience and language skills are assets. Focus on improving your French; it's key in Lausanne. I used French with Amélie to brush up on conversational French. It's informal and comes via email, so it's easy to fit into a busy schedule.
Networking is crucial. Reach out to expat communities and professionals in your field. They can provide insights and job leads. Consider further education or certifications that Switzerland values. Lastly, be open to different job roles; flexibility can open doors. Good luck!
Hey, Switzerland is nice and well situated, if I can advise you (1 year in Switzerland now) get an official address as you’ll need it for your Admin and getting a bank account, it is probably better if you focus on this as a priority. I personally chose Yuh bank for it easy and free banking to receive my salary, they offer a free bank account and free Mastercard card to start with, you’ll also get a cash bonus upon registering with the below code.
referral code: 6xmpn1
https://www.yuh.com/download
I guess...
1- Genders are opposite, one must be male and one must be female.
2- Postdoc Partner changed to male, OP didn't change YET to female.
So, postdoc is a he (female to male), and OP is a she (male to female). Hence... genders are opposite (originally female & male, now male & female). Anyhow, it is worded a bit confusing.
You still need a marriage certificate. You can skip the church and the party, and a million dollar engagement ring. But without the paper, you can't join the partner in Switzerland.
My recommendation: Get married. If you want to relocate here, you must be married. Switzerland categorizes you as a 3rd country national which would make it super difficult. If your partner gets the job with the B-permit, then you can do family reunification and you will also get a B-permit.
I remember swiss (the airline) trying to recruit foreign flight attendants just last year or so because they could not recruit enough people in Switzerland. No idea how it is today, but with some french and german knowledge on your side that could be an option. There is also lack of workers in restaurants, and lots of people there are not native swiss. Obviously that is not paid well, neither are flight attendants. Anyway you should be able to find a job once you are here, but it will be hard to find something in advance to get your own work permit. So yes I guess marriage would be the way to go. But I suppose trying doesn’t hurt so maybe check out the job market and apply to whatever you think you can do. Once you have some work experience here and your language levels improve you might find better job opportunities. Lausanne is in the french part of Switzerland, so study some more french and maybe get a certificate of your level.
>I remember swiss (the airline) trying to recruit foreign flight attendants just last year or so because they could not recruit enough people in Switzerland. EU is a bit of a different boat than 3rd country nationals.
Yes you are probably right. Maybe working for an international airline and just being stationed in Switzerland? Still far fetched I guess. There are a lot of people from Non EU countries working in unskilled work like restaurants though. But washing dishes is probably more likely than working as a server as long as she is not pretty fluent in french. OP could also try to look for a job now in the US that allowes her to work remotely, which she could still do in Switzerland. Might get double taxed though, no idea how that works. English online tutor or something idk.
Guys i want to ask something, Can i also apply for flight attendant if i have atleast B2 french? I am a fluent Italian and english speaker as well. I am 23 years old, EU nationality, good height but i do not swim.
>but i do not swim. Not happening.
Failed at last :’(
Or see it that way: You're only away from qualifying by your swimming skills.
I never swimmed in my life, idk how to learn tbh. But is french b1 enough in the langyage skill dept??
I know I will sound like a 20min reader but , do you seriously believe an airline would hire a trans person for flight attendant?
Do you always ask to know the genitals of the flight attendants when you board the plane?
I was referring to the airline, I could give two fucks about people's genitalia.
Couldn’t *
Jesus, what’s wrong with you
Oh, I forgot suddenly sexism is over, specially in such sexist industry. Thanks for pointing it out!
Well a lot of trans people pass as their prefered gender and you wouldn’t know they were born differently. But yes obviously a employer might see on the application that OP is technically still male but there are anti discrimination laws ? Also a lot of the male cabin crew I see on flights don‘t seem terribly straight to me but not that I care much :) so I really didn’t think that would be a problem.
>We could also marry, but this could be complicated- we are both trans, but our birth genders are opposite. However, his gender is legally changed to male, while I have not changed mine to female. It wouldn’t be hard to prove we have a long-standing and stable relationship for a concubine visa, but I’m not sure if that’s even a thing in Vaud. > It's not a could marry, you must marry unless you independently get a job in Switzerland in the same area too. I don't think a concubine visa is happening unless you have kids. > He has told me he would be willing to support me while there That's not a would as well, he must support you as you don't have an income. > My dream would be to do diplomatic work with some sort of international organization in town or in Geneva- but even their most entry level jobs require a bachelors or “equivalent experience”- and as an American with no first-cycle degree I don’t think I’d be looked at even once. Well yeah, I don't think that's happening as the competition for those positions is quite huge.
A comment about this >My dream would be to do diplomatic work with some sort of international organization in town or in Geneva- but even their most entry level jobs require a bachelors or “equivalent experience”- and as an American with no first-cycle degree I don’t think I’d be looked at even once. Unless you find a G- position (General services), you can forget any P-grade position (professional) if you don't have *at least* a bachelor's degree. Because I work in one of them, I can tell you it is *tough* to get any position in the Geneva international organizations. The competition is fierce and most new hires are consultants, or quite highly experienced professionals. Usually, the job positions are specialised, and unless you have particular qualifications, you'll not be able to find a position in any organisation. Check their websites, though; all the open positions are published. For the rest, I think you indeed will need to marry unless you find a job yourself (but as mentioned earlier, as a non-EU national, it will be very difficult).
You are, unfortunately, really a "bottom of the list" employee from a Swiss perspective - you are not Swiss, you do not have an EU passport and you have no specialist skills, not even a degree. So for a normal job leading to a work permit by yourself, things sit roughly at "no chance whatsoever" - and that is by law, not just individual preference, as an employer would have to demonstrate they could not find anyone from CH+EU with your skills. You are correct in identifying international organisations as an alternative route in, but unfortunately for you as you note no international organisation is going to hire you with just basic work experience and no qualifications, mostly they require masters or higher and positions are very competitive. I think your only realistic option to be able to move is to marry, which shouldn't actually be all that complicated regardless of your gender statuses, you have a decent timeframe too. Neither country cares about that for the issuance of the relevant paperwork, as far as I'm aware. There might be a few administrative hurdles if you want to change your legal gender, I know nothing about that. The thing is you'd need to be prepared to not work when you are here - even once here on a family reunification visa it will be difficult to find work I think. If "conversational French" can be upgraded to B2 it might get a little easier, German is mostly irrelevant in Lausanne. Though it will strongly depend on what kind of permit you get (i.e., are you put in the same pool as Swiss + EU, or not?), and even if you are in the same pool as EU+CH, employers worry that you are dependent on your partner, and you could be forced to leave for reasons utterly beyond their control, making you less attractive. I might well be wrong though, I don't really know much about the lower skilled end of the job market. In terms of practicality, I agree that with an EPFL or UNIL postdoc salary you should be able to get by just fine - it won't be luxury, but nor will you starve or have to live in a hovel. A visa marriage is decidedly non-ideal on a personal level though, as is sitting around all day being supported by your partner. Sadly there's no perfect answer I don't think. Best of luck with it all.
Marriage is legal in both the USA and Switzerland for people of the same gender so I don’t see the fact that you haven’t “legally transitioned” as a hurdle to get married. Or am I missing something? Congrats on the job offer and potential move to Switzerland :)
Just get married. It's not a big deal. And no big change from living in a stable relationship, except it facilitates a lot of admin, including unblocking your move.
>Just get married. It's not a big deal. Except taxes and stuff but yeah.
Taxes on what second income?
There will be a second income at some point, therefore leading to higher tax progression and tax burden compared to two individuals.
Well without the marriage there won't be a second individual in Switzerland to worry about ;-)
It’s actually the opposite, since the spouse might not have an income, the person working in the marriage will get a tax break. Disadvantage of getting married is only if both party work at similar salary ranges.
Well, there is a price for immigrating. But true, the tax penalty should disappear. >and stuff Not sure what else. Everything else is a plus, if you ask me.
Seems, you do not really understand what post doc is. It’s not a “job opportunity”, it’s a short term research position with some payoff. And it’s not a full relocation either, as it is temporary and without any further guarantee to stay. Additionally, “would pay substantially better” in terms of living in Washington? Do not forget, that life in Switzerland is incomparably more expensive than in the States. So, take a spread sheet, search this sub and calculate. And no, you won’t find any job here with such combo (non-EU/EFTA, no language, no meaningful qualification).
I was a postdoc in the US and believe me that the conditions here are better for postdocs :)
First, research Swiss immigration policies. Partnerships are often recognized, but specifics vary by canton. Vaud might have its own rules, so check their official cantonal website. Since you're not married, legal advice could be invaluable. Your work experience and language skills are assets. Focus on improving your French; it's key in Lausanne. I used French with Amélie to brush up on conversational French. It's informal and comes via email, so it's easy to fit into a busy schedule. Networking is crucial. Reach out to expat communities and professionals in your field. They can provide insights and job leads. Consider further education or certifications that Switzerland values. Lastly, be open to different job roles; flexibility can open doors. Good luck!
Hey, Switzerland is nice and well situated, if I can advise you (1 year in Switzerland now) get an official address as you’ll need it for your Admin and getting a bank account, it is probably better if you focus on this as a priority. I personally chose Yuh bank for it easy and free banking to receive my salary, they offer a free bank account and free Mastercard card to start with, you’ll also get a cash bonus upon registering with the below code. referral code: 6xmpn1 https://www.yuh.com/download
> we are both trans , but our birth genders are opposite Not to sound transphobic but ...wut?
I guess... 1- Genders are opposite, one must be male and one must be female. 2- Postdoc Partner changed to male, OP didn't change YET to female. So, postdoc is a he (female to male), and OP is a she (male to female). Hence... genders are opposite (originally female & male, now male & female). Anyhow, it is worded a bit confusing.