Immigration Information for Citizens of the USA

USA

## Visa / Residence Permit
US nationals can travel to Switzerland without a visa. As tourists, they may stay in Switzerland and the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. At ISAPZURICH, semesters run slightly longer than 90 days, so coming as a tourist means missing the beginning or end of the semester. If you plan to study at ISAPZURICH for a longer period, we generally recommend applying for a long-stay visa — also known as a national visa or Visa D.

You can apply for a long-stay visa at the Embassy or a Consulate of Switzerland in the USA before traveling to Switzerland. [Click here] to find the responsible authority for your case.
With the long-stay visa, you can travel to Switzerland. After arrival, you must register at the municipality where you are staying, within 14 days of arrival. If you are registering in the Canton of Zurich, the municipality will forward your registration to the Zurich Migration Authority, which decides on residence permits.

You will need to provide several documents, such as a passport/ID card and a rental contract. For a full list of required documents, please check with your municipality directly. The responsible local authority is called the Einwohnerkontrolle in German. In the city of Zurich specifically, this is handled by the Kreisbüro — the office responsible for residents.

## Tourist Status
US citizens may travel to Switzerland without a visa as tourists. Note that you are allowed to stay within the whole Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. This also means that recent visits to the Schengen Area before coming to study at ISAPZURICH may affect the maximum number of days you're permitted to stay in Switzerland. This tool lets you calculate the maximum stay available to you, which can help with planning.

At ISAPZURICH, semesters run slightly longer than 90 days, so if you come only for this period, you will miss the beginning or end of the semester. If you plan to study at ISAPZURICH for a longer period, we generally recommend applying for a residence permit for study purposes.

Please note that it is not possible to apply for a long-stay visa for study purposes while in Switzerland or the Schengen Area — the application must be filed while you are still in the USA.

## Long-Stay Visa (Visa D)
Switzerland is divided into Cantons, each with its own Migration Authority. The information below is based on ISAPZURICH's experience with the Canton of Zürich; policies may differ in other Cantons and apply only if you plan to live in the Canton of Zürich.
You can find the application form here.

## Working while studying
As a US citizen you need a work permit to work in Switzerland.
In the first 6 months of their stay in Switzerland, students who are citizens of the USA are not allowed to work. After that, they can work up to a maximum of 15 hours per week during semester weeks and up to full-time outside of the semester weeks. Students from third countries may pursue a part-time job in exceptional cases only.

You can find all the details about it on the website of the work authority in Zürich here.

## A few important points for your application:
Students at ISAPZURICH are, on average, older than students at other Swiss schools and universities. As far as we know, there is no maximum age for obtaining a long-stay visa to study at ISAPZURICH.

Studies at ISAPZURICH can take up to a maximum of 7.5 years (90 months). This length should be entered on your application form.

Where appropriate you should advise that you will be studying Analytical Psychology, and training to become a Jungian Analyst. You should also state your student status at ISAPZURICH, which will be one of the following: 1) Matriculated Auditor or a 2) Training Candidate.

You will need to prove sufficient financial means. One way to do this is with a bank statement showing a minimum of CHF 21,000 (or the equivalent in USD), using one of the banks approved by the Zurich Migration Office. See this list.

Please contact the Front Office office@isapzurich.com if you need further information.