Eight years of study, but under what conditions?

Eight years of study, but under what conditions?

"Last week you explained the procedure - apparently quite simple - that a foreigner has to follow to enter Switzerland to study, and I was astonished to read that this is the way to stay in our country for 8 years! So is it enough to find a school willing to issue a certificate to live in Geneva peacefully for almost a decade?

Raymond, Geneva

It is true that the Federal Law on Foreign Nationals stipulates that students may be admitted to Switzerland to follow a course of training or further training lasting a maximum of 8 years, provided that the management of the establishment concerned confirms that they can be admitted, that they have suitable accommodation and the necessary financial resources, and that they have the level of training and personal qualifications required to follow the planned course.

However, under the Federal Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment, the authorities may restrict admission to training or further training courses to recognised schools. The programme and duration of the course must be fixed, and the school management must confirm that the applicant has the required level of education and language skills.

The case law of the Federal Supreme Court specifies that the admission policy is restrictive in order to prevent students from seeking to remain in our country once they have completed their training. In particular, the aim is to prevent schools and universities from becoming overcrowded, while keeping open the possibility of admitting new young students. As a result, residence permits for study purposes will not in principle be granted to applicants over the age of 30 who already have an educational qualification, unless this is a direct and essential extension of their studies.

On this basis, the Federal Office for Migration has issued strict directives to prevent such stays from being abused, given the large number of foreigners applying for admission to Switzerland on this basis. In particular, the training must be full-time, every day of the week, and include at least 20 hours of lessons a week. Gymnasiums and technical, vocational, commercial or agricultural schools fall into this category, as do boarding schools; this is not the case, however, for schools with a limited curriculum or that offer only a limited number of courses, such as evening schools.