One of the questions that comes up most often in the groups is: ‘I’ve been made redundant – what happens to my leave now?’ The short answer is that nothing happens straight away. But the long answer is more important.
Under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons, EU citizens in Switzerland holding a B permit are entitled to remain in the country if they lose their job through no fault of their own. The permit is not automatically cancelled. What you must do, and with some urgency, is register as a jobseeker with the cantonal Regional Employment Office, known as the ORP in French-speaking Switzerland and the RAV in the German-speaking part. This registration triggers the right to unemployment insurance, and unemployment benefits count as sufficient means of support for the purposes of the residence permit.
The duration of protection varies depending on how long you worked in Switzerland before being made redundant. If you had been working for less than a year, you have six months to demonstrate that you are still active in the labour market. If you had been working for more than a year, you can retain your permit for as long as you are entitled to unemployment benefit, provided you are registered with the ORP. Many people wait weeks before registering, thinking they have plenty of time, and this can complicate the process. You must register within the unemployment insurance time limits, not when it suits you. If your entitlement to unemployment benefit runs out and you do not have sufficient personal resources, the canton may review your residence permit status. However, the idea that in Switzerland you are sent back to your country of origin on the very day you are made redundant is, in most cases, a myth.