 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Apart from a couple of short periods this has been the overall trend for the last twenty years. There have been times when it's made Switzerland very expensive for foreign tourists.
Oddly though, this is not so much the case right now as it was five or ten years ago, due to the high inflation across the Euro zone (indeed, everywhere except Switzerland as far as I can see). With Swiss rates still very much lower the normal "isn't everything so expensive here" reaction from our guests has been very much less recently than even just a couple of years ago.
We've noticed it a lot in our own shopping, perhaps buoyed by the inexorable rise of Lidl, Aldi etc. that Swiss prices in general, particularly for groceries, have actually been coming down in the last couple of years, whereas we're now seeing a lot on increases in French prices. Yes, there are still lots of things that are stupidly expensive in CH, especially meat, but for most everything else prices have pretty much normalised.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Switzerland is the best country in Europe for skiing (snow, scenery, resorts, alpine huts, culture).
However the exchange rate makes it pretty much unaffordable for normal UK families getting paid in £.
2008 : 2.5 CHF to £1
2014 : 1.5 CHF to £1
2022 : 1.12 CHF to £1
Meanwhile everything in CH costs the same, in francs.
Switzerland used to be a great place for lower BASI levels to work.
Now a visa is near impossible for kids.
Another #brexit divided.
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=CHF&view=10Y
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Thu 30-06-22 12:12; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
Another indirect Brexit dividend.
Switzerland used to be a great place for lower BASI levels to work.
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Yeah, we used to have a regular three or four aspiring BASI instructors living over in Chatel/Abondance who are no longer able to work in CH. One of them who I bumped into has now completed his Carte Pro so is working in France, which seemed to be the main aspiration, but a couple of other I know have effectively given up, or at least toned down, on their expectations.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The only Brits living in our village are those with ‘acquired rights', i.e they already had a residence permit before Brexit, and that permit has been valid continuously ever since. It’s a pretty tough gig, as once a permit is allowed to lapse (e.g. for a long visit back to the U.K.), the holder cannot get another one. We have trainee instructors from the U.K. every winter doing BASI quals and getting their shadowing hours in, but they have no hope of working, which is a great shame.
As for the cost of living here, it certainly doesn’t seem to be putting the tourists off. I've never seen Wengen so busy in summer.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| telford_mike wrote: |
| The only Brits living in our village are those with ‘acquired rights', i.e they already had a residence permit before Brexit, and that permit has been valid continuously ever since. It’s a pretty tough gig, as once a permit is allowed to lapse (e.g. for a long visit back to the U.K.), the holder cannot get another one. |
Depends on the permit. If they'd been there more than five years on a B permit then they'd have automatically been granted a C, which is a permanent right of residence, also giving the same rights to buy property as a Swiss national, and can only be revoked in very specific circumstances. Extended visits 'home' are allowed, as long as they're officially declared in advance.
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@Chaletbeauroc, True, however B and C permits are the exception here amongst seasonal workers. Most of them have one L permit after another, as they get successive winter and summer contracts. Miss a winter or a summer, and (for Brits) no more permit. It’s a shame, as some of them have been here for years.
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@telford_mike, Yes, the L permit situation is more difficult. The problem we had here was with the G permit, which was automatic for EU citizens, but after Brexit...
Another related issue is that British artisans resident in France are no longer allowed to do any work in CH. Used to be that as long as it was all declared in advance and less than a certain number of days per year, it was fine. That bilateral agreement is still in place for Brits resident in Britain and of course is unchanged for the French, but Brits resident in the EU can now longer do this.
[for the non-Swiss here, B is a yearly-renewable residence permit, L (Limited) for temporary positions, G (Grenzganger) for non-residents crossing the border each day to work in CH. C is a settlement permit, effectively giving permanent residency].
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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No surprise on the exchange rate. Last i saw Swiss inflation still below 3% as they have a central bank who understand monetary policy
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Chaletbeauroc, I thought that the B permit was valid for 5 years (versus 1 year on the L permit)?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Switzerland is the best country in Europe for skiing (snow, scenery, resorts, alpine huts |
Something of a generalisation there, HT....
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| Bergmeister wrote: |
| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Switzerland is the best country in Europe for skiing (snow, scenery, resorts, alpine huts |
Something of a generalisation there, HT.... |
Cost aside... I reckon CH is best country in Europe for skiing.
Of course that is just an opinion. And great skiing can also be found in France, Norway or Austria (all of which are great in their own way)
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You know it makes sense.
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| oui4ski wrote: |
| @Chaletbeauroc, I thought that the B permit was valid for 5 years (versus 1 year on the L permit)? |
Yes, B-permit is 5 year renewable.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Agenterre wrote: |
| oui4ski wrote: |
| @Chaletbeauroc, I thought that the B permit was valid for 5 years (versus 1 year on the L permit)? |
Yes, B-permit is 5 year renewable. |
Yes, 5 years for people with open-ended employment contracts. Non-working folk however, (mostly retired) can also get a B Permit, but it’s renewable annually (you get a reminder 3 months before it expires, and the renewal process is quick and easy). L Permits are limited to the length of an employment contract, e.g. a ski instructor working from Dec - April will get a 5 month permit. There are (limited) provisions for this to be extended whilst looking for summer work, but you have to get a new employment contract pretty quickly.
Not sure whether this varies from canton to canton, but this is how it works here in Canton Bern.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| telford_mike wrote: |
Not sure whether this varies from canton to canton, but this is how it works here in Canton Bern. |
The basic rules are the same across all cantons, yes. Application thereof, or willingness to issue certain types of permit, may vary. I know there used to be some sort of unofficial quota for B permits in Geneva, for instance, so some people ended up getting Ls instead. When I first came over it was actually the other way round - for some reason that escapes me I didn't fit the Basel Stadt requirements for an L so was immediately given a B even though it was initially just a 1 year contract.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Chaletbeauroc, when we moved over to GE in 2006 I got an L as they'd used up their B quota for the year, replaced with a B on renewal ...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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will make Jura coffee machines expensive, but they are B****y good and worth the extra........
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Bob, it's not the machine, it's the beans.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| telford_mike wrote: |
| Agenterre wrote: |
| oui4ski wrote: |
| @Chaletbeauroc, I thought that the B permit was valid for 5 years (versus 1 year on the L permit)? |
Yes, B-permit is 5 year renewable. |
Yes, 5 years for people with open-ended employment contracts. Non-working folk however, (mostly retired) can also get a B Permit, but it’s renewable annually (you get a reminder 3 months before it expires, and the renewal process is quick and easy).
Not sure whether this varies from canton to canton, but this is how it works here in Canton Bern. |
Not true in Valais, or Zug. My partner ( not married) is non-working and in receipt of a non-resident pension. It's 5 years. Folk working outside Switzerland (subject to residency rules) also have 5 years on a B-permit. For health purposes you have to confirm your status every year but that is obviously not residency related.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Agenterre wrote: |
Not true in Valais, or Zug. My partner ( not married) is non-working and in receipt of a non-resident pension. It's 5 years. Folk working outside Switzerland (subject to residency rules) also have 5 years on a B-permit. |
I wish Bern would adopt those rules!
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An interesting set of variations both across the cantons and similar sounding permits! I originally asked because our daughter lives in the Valais (with an open ended employment contract) on a 5 year B permit (which should hopefully convert at some point to a C permit) whereas a retired friend of ours with an apartment in the Valais has a (banned from working) B permit and I made the assumption that surely all B permits are the same ... 
To stay slightly on topic however, I'm watching the continuing depreciation of the pound against the Swiss Franc with dread.
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@oui4ski, C-permits aren't a 'conversion' as such a totally different process and rules understandably. Different applications by commune too!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Agenterre, Thanks - even more complicated doesn't surprise me at all!
I seem to remember that perhaps pre-Brex*t that the Valais had an annual quota for some EU B permit holders being invited to upgrade to C permits - but there is a reasonable possibility that I misunderstood during post ski refreshments.
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| oui4ski wrote: |
@Agenterre,
I seem to remember that perhaps pre-Brex*t that the Valais had an annual quota for some EU B permit holders being invited to upgrade to C permits - but there is a reasonable possibility that I misunderstood during post ski refreshments. |
I have no idea but you may well be right! I have a better chance of understanding Einstein's theories than Swiss residency and citizenship. You can not blame them for making it incomprehensible though
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The 5 year period for a C permit is a minimum requirement for EU citizens. For non-EU it's normally 10 years, but I don't know if they made a special dispensation for UK folks who were EU when they first got the B, or for them all.
The 'automatic' thing certainly seemed that way when I got mine - the B permit at that time was renewed every year, and would be prompted by the gemeinde/commune, i.e. you'd receive a renewal notice from them, and after five years that was simply an application for a C instead of a B, from my perspective no different at all from the previous renewals. In fact I don't think I even realised I would get a C until I picked it up from them.
This was >15 years ago in Basel Stadt, although I understood later than that that it was the same throughout Switzerland. And I never heard of quotas for C permits, just for Bs as previously mentioned.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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When I worked in Zurich there were 12 CHF to the GBP - those were the days!
I came home and bought a very nice MGB GT with the money I saved whilst in CH 
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Wow - when I started skiing there were "only" 6 CHF to the pound!
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You know it makes sense.
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Each canton has different rules, sometimes the feds overrule them. In Zurich you can fast-track to a C after 5yrs if you have the language quals, if not its 10yrs with reduced language quals. They don't have to grant you to a c even if you do meet the criteria.
And god help you if you move canton.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
Switzerland is the best country in Europe for skiing (snow, scenery, resorts, alpine huts, culture).
However the exchange rate makes it pretty much unaffordable for normal UK families getting paid in £.
2008 : 2.5 CHF to £1
2014 : 1.5 CHF to £1
2022 : 1.12 CHF to £1
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IIRC. When I first went skiing (1972/73) the exchange rate was 10 CHF to £1....and I think went to 9 CHF to £1 while I was there.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
Switzerland is the best country in Europe for skiing (snow, scenery, resorts, alpine huts, culture).
However the exchange rate makes it pretty much unaffordable for normal UK families getting paid in £.
2008 : 2.5 CHF to £1
2014 : 1.5 CHF to £1
2022 : 1.12 CHF to £1
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IIRC. When I first went skiing (1972/73) the exchange rate was 10 CHF to £1....and I think went to 9 CHF to £1 while I was there. |
printing money destroys the value of your paper currency, who knew?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@davidof, sadly it's one of those "largely invisible to the general public" options available to multiple/successive governments who can blame both previous and/or foreign administrations!
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