The Happy, Healthy Capitalists of Switzerland

[Monoriu]

So I need to research the easiest EU country to immigrate to... 

Some of my colleagues are talking about Portugal.  They say just buy a small flat and that's it. 

[Kaeso]

Hami, how difficult is it for an English-only person to operate in Switzerland? How difficult is it to properly immigrate (not necessarily for citizenship)?

Asking for a friend.

Geneva and Zurich are easy for English speaking people. And beside if you go to live to a small town, you should manage to get around just fine. Keep in mind we have an important foreign population.

About immigration, if you have a specific skill and a willing company to hire you, it is doable but an hassle if you aren't EU/EFTA nationals. Best bet is to get relocated by an international company that has a Swiss HQ or Regional HQ (many does). They used to have pretty niftly relocation package with paid rental and private school but those were targeted to people only relocating for couple of years.

About the Swiss, yes we are not particularly easy going people and we tend to stick to regulation to a anal retentive level. On the other hand, once you broke the ice and get accepted, you are truly accepted (bonus if you aren't German or French). Also we are not really Calvinist, only Geneva get this distinction and they are dying out 

[Duque de Bragança]

So I need to research the easiest EU country to immigrate to... 

Some of my colleagues are talking about Portugal.  They say just buy a small flat and that's it.

i.e Golden Visa, being very popular among the Chinese. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal_Golden_Visa

Brazilians get a special favoured status through the treaty of Porto Seguro. Portuguese citizenship for Sepharads with proven Portuguese links is possible as well.

[Kaeso]

I really have to question Switzerland having a fair wealth distribution, especially considering the way the rich get to hide their wealth and avoid paying taxes there.
Switzerland seems a great place to be if you're rich but if you're poor its hell (or a libertarian paradice if you are so inclined).
You pay for everything. Sick? €200 to see a doctor. Wallet stolen? €20 to report it to the police. House on fire? Well there's a fire brigade but it's funded as an insurance (albeit one everyone must pay for) rather than out of conventional taxes.

I often observed how Switzerland is the anti Sweden. Where Sweden has large open spaces free from humans an hours walk out of a major city, Switzerland has houses everywhere, where Sweden has excellent gender equality, Switzerland just finally gave all women the vote in the 90s and discrimination is as standard.

Strange time to be writing this too. Things are not looking good in Switzerland. Large corporations are pulling out huge numbers of jobs due to costs, and the franc really is riding unnaturally super high.

Switzerland has a very expensive health system sure but if you spend a certain amount during the year you get reimbursed by your insurance. So it is not the case you have to pay every single time just that you are supposed to cover the first 2000.- (can be less depending on your monthly premium). About the fire insurance, actually only the owner of the building (as we are mostly renting our accommodation...) has to get an insurance. Also the insurance (a cantonal institution) is also funding the fire brigade (which are mostly volunteer) and their training. Now about the fee for lost property, you may have to pay (depending of the police force) to get a copy of the complaint not to report itself. You may have to pay for the recovery (free if you have a train abonnement and you lost it in the train for instance).

Now we have a lot of inequity, but this is not Brazil level and we are certainly better off than our neighbors but Liechtenstein. The issue is that Switzerland has a social welfare system only since the end of WWII (State run pension since 1947) and it is used to be very prone to shaming people using the few benefits at their disposal. Swiss mindset never left the XIX Century to a certain extent, poor and rural as well as conservative. Our invalidity benefit used to be easier to get and over the last decade it is becoming more and more hard to get accepted. But even if you are getting rejected, you will still get some kind of benefit to cover the bare minimum (and your health insurance and cost may be covered as well).

About the woman voting rights, federally they got it in 1971, in some cantons before that... Only Appenzell Innerrhoden had to be forced to give it on Cantonal level in 1989. Till then you had to present your sword or your military bayonet to be accepted in the Landsgemeinde (Open assembly were people vote by raising their hand).

About the crowded impression, sure we were about 6.2 milions in 1970 and are 8.5 now. Also we are living mostly on 40% of our territory are the rest is basically mountainous.

I agree we are about to live some difficult years but our national debt is under control and if some international companies pull off, it should be a return to normality. We have been living unhealthy fat years...

[Hamilcar]

Who the fuck are you?

[Eddie Teach]

You mean you don't all know each other?

[Kaeso]

Who the fuck are you?

Please don't kill me over the internet, I have six kids to feed....

I am your friendly Swiss lurker, dull and mostly silent.

[FunkMonk]

hi

[Tonitrus]

Lurking is overrated.  Infrequent drive-by posts with dry humor or sarcasm is where it's at.

[Hamilcar]

Who the fuck are you?

Please don't kill me over the internet, I have six kids to feed....

I am your friendly Swiss lurker, dull and mostly silent.

16 posts in 10 years? What kind of psychopath are you?

[Admiral Yi]

Do Krautophone Swiss speak better English than Frogophone Swiss?

[Habbaku]

Thanks for your posts, Kaeso, whoever the fuck you are. 

[The Brain]

Hi! I am friendly.

[Tonitrus]

Who the fuck are you?

Please don't kill me over the internet, I have six kids to feed....

I am your friendly Swiss lurker, dull and mostly silent.

16 posts in 10 years? What kind of psychopath are you?

Shoot, a member who has left (CdM) still has the total post lead. 

garbon is closing in though. 

[Kaeso]

Do Krautophone Swiss speak better English than Frogophone Swiss?

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/ef-survey_switzerland-falls-in-global-english-skills-ranking/45348166

Switzerland remains in the group of countries with "high" English language skills, but EF observed a small decline across all Swiss language regions (German-, French-, Italian- and Romansh-speaking). International cities like Geneva and Zurich were no exceptions. Lausanne was the only place showing progress.

As I recruit cops for foreign assignment and English is prerequisite, I must say Swiss German colleagues tend to speak rather good English while the Welsch (non German speakers but mostly intended toward Romands) have more limited skills.

I am member since over 10 years (don't remember what did happen before 2009 but I posted even less before), I followed Viper and few other Frogphones from the Paradox forum. I don't post often because I am bad at dry humor and sarcasm, still I do appreciate the tone of the forum. I guess I am just an average civil servant who has plenty of time to kill between reports and budget proposals. Writing this make me realize I am not productive at all and thus being unswiss...