Effective date: 01.01.2024. The details of cantonal practice, the addresses of the authorities, and seasonal practice in the tourism and viticulture sectors are volatile; for binding information, always use the official website of the respective competent cantonal authority (cross-references in the text and in the source citations of this file).

This file is a cluster overview, not an individual-case advice text. It describes a family of practice composed of two multilingual Alpine cantons, whose common features (multilingual conduct of proceedings, an Alpine economic structure with pronounced seasonal employment, smaller migration-office structures) allow a thematic grouping. Comparative value judgments on the "strictness" or "leniency" between GR and VS, or relative to other clusters, are deliberately omitted — such assessments would be application of the law to an individual case and thus a lawyer's activity within the meaning of the Federal Act on the Freedom of Movement for Lawyers (Lawyers Act, LLCA, SR 935.61), which is reserved exclusively for lawyers registered in the canton concerned.

1. Overview — Plurilingual-Mountain Cluster

1.1 What is this cluster?

Swiss migration law is, in its basic structure, federal law — namely the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20), the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (OASA, SR 142.201), the Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0), the Asylum Act (AsylA, SR 142.31), as well as the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons Switzerland–EU (AFMP, SR 0.142.112.681) with its implementing ordinance (OFMP) — but its implementation is carried out by the 26 cantons. The practice of the cantons exhibits region-typical patterns. The present cluster groups together two cantons that, in migration-law terms, are distinguished by a rare combination: multilingual conduct of proceedings in an Alpine economic area dominated by tourism, marked by pronounced seasonal activity and — in the case of Valais — by significant viticulture.

Included are:

  • Graubünden (GR) — around 200,000 inhabitants. Trilingual, with the official languages German, Italian and Romansh (Rumantsch). Economically dominated by tourism (Davos, St. Moritz, Lenzerheide, Arosa, Engadine, Surselva), the hotel industry, ski areas, mountain agriculture and a small industrial profile in the Chur Rhine valley.
  • Valais/Wallis (VS) — around 360,000 inhabitants. Bilingual, with the official languages German (Upper Valais) and French (Lower Valais). Economically dominated by tourism (Zermatt, Verbier, Crans-Montana, Saas-Fee, Leukerbad), viticulture (Chasselas/Fendant, Pinot Noir, Petite Arvine, Cornalin), the aluminium industry (Steg/Sierre), pharmaceuticals (Visp/Lonza) and mountain agriculture.

1.2 Why these two cantons together?

GR and VS share three structurally defining features that connect their migration-law practice:

  1. Multilingualism as administrative routine: in neither canton is a single language the administrative language across the entire territory. The language of the proceedings is determined according to the municipality of residence or the district, and in some constellations according to the choice of the applying person.
  2. Alpine economic structure: both cantons have a high share of seasonal employment in the hotel and tourism sector. This results in an above-average use, by intercantonal comparison, of the L short-term permit under Art. 32 FNIA for seasonal contracts of typical duration (four to eight months).
  3. Smaller migration-office structures than in Zurich, Geneva, Bern or Vaud. This gives rise to greater personnel continuity in case handling and a closer contact between caseworkers and local municipal authorities — descriptively, not as a value judgment.

The Canton of Ticino (TI) is not listed in this cluster, although it too is an Alpine tourism canton with a border region; TI forms a separate unit (planned: Canton of Ticino) on account of its monolingual Italian language of proceedings, the cross-border-worker specificity vis-à-vis Italy, and its own autonomous cantonal doctrine (in particular the application of the Italy DTA to cross-border workers).

1.3 What this cluster is not

This cluster is not a recommendation for the choice of a particular canton. In particular, it contains no statement as to whether a procedure is "easier" or "more difficult" in GR or in VS, and no recommendation as to the choice of a particular language of proceedings within the multilingual cantons. SIP provides no cantonal strategy advice, no language-choice recommendations and no tax advice (anti-scope).

2. Common cluster practice features

2.1 Language of proceedings depending on district/municipality

In both cantons the language of proceedings is not laid down uniformly at cantonal level, but follows the official language of the municipality of residence, respectively of the electoral circle:

  • GR: German in the great majority of municipalities (in particular the Chur Rhine valley, Davos, Prättigau, Heinzenberg), Italian in the southern valleys (Mesolcina/Misox, Calanca, Bregaglia/Bergell, Poschiavo, Val Müstair in part), Romansh officially in a number of municipalities of the Surselva, the Engadine and in Val Müstair. In Romansh-speaking municipalities, the conduct of proceedings in Romansh is theoretically possible, but rarely formally established in practice (see section 3.3).
  • VS: French in the districts of Sion, Sierre, Martigny, Monthey, Conthey, Hérens, Entremont, Saint-Maurice and in the west; German in the Upper Valais districts of Brig, Visp, Western Raron, Eastern Raron, Goms and Leuk. The language border runs approximately at Sierre/Siders. Sierre/Siders itself is regarded as a bilingual municipality; the concrete internal language practice of the municipality (which language is decisive for a given submission) is not uniform across all proceedings and is to be clarified case by case with the competent authority. .

For applicants this means in concrete terms: the choice of residence within a multilingual canton prejudges the language of the proceedings. A move within the canton across the language border (for example from Sion to Brig) leads to a change in the language of the proceedings (see section 9).

2.2 Alpine economy and seasonal migration

The share of seasonal employment relationships is above average in both cantons. The following branches in particular are structurally defining within the cluster:

  • Hotel industry and catering in tourism destinations (St. Moritz, Davos, Arosa, Lenzerheide in GR; Zermatt, Verbier, Crans-Montana, Saas-Fee, Leukerbad in VS).
  • Ski areas and mountain railways with a winter season (December to April) and a summer season (July to September).
  • Viticulture and harvest workers in VS (autumn harvest).
  • Mountain agriculture with the Alpine summer (May/June to September).

From these structures follows the standard migration-law use of the L short-term permit under Art. 32 FNIA for contracts of between four and twelve months' duration. Eight-month contracts (typically the winter season plus a preparation and dismantling phase) form a frequent L constellation within the cluster, unlike administrative regions with an industrial focus, where the L is often used as a shorter, project-bound permit. The respective current seasonal and quota practice is to be verified with the competent cantonal migration authority (GR/VS, see source citations). .

2.3 Smaller migration-office structures

The cantonal migration authorities in GR and VS are, in comparison with ZH, GE, BE, VD, smaller in personnel. For practice this gives rise to the following implications — again descriptive, not as a value judgment:

  • Greater personnel continuity in case handling over the years.
  • Closer contact between cantonal case handling and municipal authorities, in particular in mountain regions.
  • A lower absolute caseload per caseworker in absolute figures, but, in certain circumstances, longer response times owing to holiday absences and small staff pools (seasonal work of the authorities themselves).

3. Graubünden (GR) — specifics

3.1 Authority

The competent cantonal authority is the Amt für Migration und Zivilrecht (Office for Migration and Civil Law) of the Canton of Graubünden, organizationally subordinated to the Departement für Justiz, Sicherheit und Gesundheit (DJSG, Department of Justice, Security and Health).

Authority: Amt für Migration und Zivilrecht des Kantons Graubünden, Chur. Binding address, telephone, e-mail and opening hours: via the official cantonal website — Amt für Migration und Zivilrecht (Departement DJSG): https://www.gr.ch/DE/institutionen/verwaltung/djsg/afm/ SEM directory of cantonal migration authorities: https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/de/home/sem/kontakt/kantonale_behoerden.html

The contact details (street, telephone switchboard, e-mail, opening hours) are volatile and are deliberately not printed here as fixed values; only the official cantonal website is authoritative. Before any contact is made, the current information is to be checked there.

3.2 Trilingualism — German / Italian / Romansh

The Graubünden cantonal constitution (Art. 3 Cst./GR) recognizes German, Italian and Romansh as equivalent official and national languages. For migration-law proceedings this means:

  • German: language of proceedings in the great majority of municipalities and the main working language in the cantonal administration.
  • Italian: language of proceedings in the Italian-speaking valleys (Mesolcina, Calanca, Bregaglia, Poschiavo). Applications can be submitted there in Italian, and rulings are issued in Italian. The exact internal language allocation of the municipality is determined according to the cantonal language act of the Canton of Graubünden (BR 492.100, cantonal law) and according to the respective municipal affiliation; the current allocation is to be checked via the official cantonal website.
  • Romansh (Rumantsch): an officially recognized language of proceedings in Romansh-speaking municipalities. In practice, the formal conduct of proceedings in Romansh is rare; many applicants choose German or Italian for reasons of practicability. Translations of cantonal rulings into Romansh are in principle possible upon request; the concrete organizational responsibility (chancellery, respectively the competent translation office) is to be clarified case by case with the cantonal authority. .

3.3 Romansh practice in detail

Romansh practice is a Swiss peculiarity that, within the cluster, appears only in GR. The five main idioms (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Putèr, Vallader) have, since 1982, been supplemented by the standardized Rumantsch Grischun, which is used by the cantonal administration as the standard form. In practice, the conduct of proceedings in Romansh is theoretically possible, but:

  • the ruling is often issued bilingually (Romansh + German);
  • a lawyer with active Romansh competence is rare, and correspondence with the applying person frequently takes place in German;
  • for SIP users whose municipality of residence is Romansh-speaking, the following applies: the choice of the language of proceedings is possible, but should be clarified in advance with the competent cantonal authority and a competent lawyer.

The current concrete practice of conducting proceedings in Romansh in migration proceedings is to be enquired about with the competent cantonal authority; a definitive, published line cannot be substantiated here. .

3.4 Advice centres GR

In Graubünden there are several low-threshold advice centres with a migration-law connection. The respective current addresses and telephone numbers are to be obtained via the official presences of the organizations; concrete contact data are not printed here as fixed values:

  • Bündner Beratungsstelle für Asylsuchende (Chur) — advice in asylum proceedings, removal proceedings and on permits relating to provisional admission (F).
  • IG offenes Davos (Davos region) — local contact point for migration-law and integration-related questions.
  • Caritas Graubünden (Chur) — general social advice with a migration-law interface.
  • HEKS Graubünden (Chur) — relief organization of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland, legal advice in the asylum field.

These centres do not provide legal representation by a lawyer within the meaning of the Lawyers Act (LLCA, SR 935.61), but low-threshold advice. For appeals, hardship-case applications and judicial proceedings, a lawyer entered in the Graubünden bar register should be engaged.

4. GR — tourism, seasonal work and migration

4.1 Seasonal employment in GR

The tourism sector in Graubünden employs, during the winter season (December to April) and the summer season (July to September), a significant share of seasonal workers. Typical constellations:

  • Hotel season: contract durations usually four to eight months, depending on the destination (for example St. Moritz, Davos, Lenzerheide, Engadine). The L permit under Art. 32 FNIA is here the standard migration-law constellation.
  • Ski areas and mountain railways: contract durations five to seven months, centred on the winter season.
  • Catering independent of ski destinations: often annual contracts with a B permit possible; but in seasonal establishments, likewise an L permit.

An extension of an L permit can in principle take place, but is tied to the conditions of Art. 32 para. 4 FNIA. A conversion from L to B is possible, but depends on the concrete facts of the case — SIP provides no individual-case advice on this (see the L short-term permit).

4.2 Italy DTA — what is not applicable

The double-taxation agreement between Switzerland and Italy (Italy DTA, SR 0.672.945.41) contains a specific cross-border-worker clause that is relevant in TI and, to a lesser extent, in GR southern-valley districts. With regard to seasonal hotel-industry and ski-area work in GR, the Italy DTA cross-border-worker clause is not directly applicable, because:

  • seasonal workers typically live on site (staff rooms in hotels), and thus no cross-border-worker status within the meaning of the DTA exists;
  • the cross-border-worker regime of the current cross-border-workers agreement (in force since 17.07.2023) is based on municipalities of residence close to the border in Italy and on places of work close to the border in Switzerland (see the G cross-border-worker permit).

For Graubünden hotel-industry and tourism seasonal work, the migration-law category is not G (cross-border worker), but L (short-term permit holder). For Mesolcina municipalities close to the Italian border (such as San Vittore, Roveredo), G constellations may occur sporadically; the concrete cantonal practice is to be checked with the competent authority. .

4.3 Mountain agriculture and the Alpine summer

In the summer Alpine operation (May/June to September), GR employs seasonal herders, dairy workers and auxiliary staff. Contract durations usually three to five months, regularly within the framework of the L short-term permit. The concrete application practice and the respectively applicable quotas are to be enquired about with the competent cantonal authority. .

5. Valais (VS) — specifics

5.1 Authority

The competent cantonal authority is the Service de la population et des migrations (SPoM) of the Canton of Valais (French), respectively the Dienststelle für Bevölkerung und Migration (DBM) (German), depending on the language region. It is organizationally subordinated to the competent cantonal security department; the exact current departmental allocation is to be checked via the official cantonal website.

Authority: Service de la population et des migrations (SPoM) / Dienststelle für Bevölkerung und Migration (DBM), Canton of Valais. Sites for Lower and Upper Valais (Sion as well as a contact point in Upper Valais/the Brig region). Binding addresses, telephone, e-mail and opening hours: via the official cantonal website — SPoM/DBM: https://www.vs.ch/de/web/spm SEM directory of cantonal migration authorities: https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/de/home/sem/kontakt/kantonale_behoerden.html

The site structure (main site in Lower Valais as well as a contact point for German-speaking Upper Valais) is relevant for practice, since applicants from the German-speaking districts do not necessarily have to travel to Lower Valais. The exact distribution of functions and competences between the sites, as well as the concrete contact details, are to be checked via the official cantonal website; they are not printed here as fixed values.

5.2 Bilingualism — German and French

The Valais cantonal constitution (Art. 12 Cst./VS) recognizes German and French as equivalent official languages. For migration-law proceedings this means:

  • Upper Valais (districts of Brig, Visp, Western Raron, Eastern Raron, Goms, Leuk): language of proceedings German.
  • Lower Valais (districts of Sion, Sierre, Hérens, Conthey, Martigny, Entremont, Saint-Maurice, Monthey): language of proceedings French.
  • Language border: approximately at Sierre/Siders. Sierre is regarded as a bilingual municipality with a bilingual municipal administration. The language practice within Sierre is not uniform across all proceedings and is to be clarified case by case with the competent authority. .

For municipalities of residence east of Sierre, the language of proceedings is as a rule German, west of it French. An applying person cannot freely choose the language of proceedings — the language is determined according to residence. A change of municipality of residence across the language border leads to a change of language for the further conduct of the proceedings (see section 9).

5.3 Advice centres VS

In Valais there are advice centres for both language regions. The respective current addresses and telephone numbers are to be obtained via the official presences of the organizations; concrete contact data are not printed here as fixed values:

  • Centre Suisses-Immigrés (CSI) (Sion, Lower Valais) — French-speaking advice centre for migration-law questions, low-threshold advice in several languages.
  • Forum Migration Oberwallis (FMO) (Visp, Upper Valais) — German-speaking advice centre for migration-law questions as well as integration and language-course advice.
  • Caritas Wallis / Caritas Valais (Sion and Visp) — general social advice with a migration-law interface.
  • Partner organizations of the Swiss Refugee Council (OSAR/SFH) in the asylum field.

These centres do not provide legal representation by a lawyer within the meaning of the Lawyers Act (LLCA, SR 935.61). For more complex proceedings, a lawyer entered in the Valais bar register (Ordre des avocats valaisans / Walliser Anwaltsverband) should be engaged.

6. VS — economy, seasonal work and migration

6.1 Economic profile

Valais combines several economic clusters, each with its own migration-law profile:

  • Tourism: Zermatt, Verbier, Crans-Montana, Saas-Fee, Leukerbad, Anzère, Champéry, Nendaz. Winter season + summer season. High share of seasonal L permits.
  • Viticulture: Valais is the largest wine-growing region in Switzerland (vineyard area on the order of several thousand hectares). Autumn harvest in September/October. Seasonal harvest workers with an L permit. .
  • Pharmaceuticals and chemicals: the Lonza site in Visp (employees predominantly on a B permit with open-ended contracts); a structurally growing sector.
  • Aluminium industry: Steg, Sierre (Constellium and successor companies). A stable B-permit population, traditionally with a high proportion of Italian and Portuguese employees.
  • Mountain agriculture: Alpine-summer employment as in GR.

6.2 France DTA and Italy DTA — cross-border-worker practice

Valais has a border with Italy (in the south, essentially the Valais Alpine chain with the Great St. Bernard and Simplon passes) and is, to a lesser extent, connected to the French border via the cantons of Vaud and Geneva. Cross-border-worker constellations are rarer in Valais than in TI, GE or BS/BL, but they do exist:

  • Italy DTA (double-taxation agreement Switzerland–Italy, SR 0.672.945.41) with the new cross-border-workers agreement of 23.12.2020 (in force since 17.07.2023): application for persons who live in a border zone in Italy and work in a corresponding border zone in Switzerland. For Valais places of work immediately at the Italian border (the Simplon area), the G permit may come into consideration. The exact definition of the border zone, as well as the current cantonal application practice, are to be checked with the competent authority, respectively with the tax administration. .
  • France DTA (double-taxation agreement Switzerland–France, SR 0.672.934.91) with the associated cross-border-worker regime: rarely directly relevant for Valais constellations, since Valais has no direct French border. Primarily applicable is the Geneva and Vaud cross-border-worker practice — see the Canton of Geneva and the Romandie standard-practice cluster.

For tourism and viticulture seasonal work, the cross-border-worker constellation is not typical — seasonal workers live on site (L permit). The current border practice is to be enquired about with SPoM/DBM. .

6.3 Grape harvest and seasonal practice

The Valais grape harvest (September/October) brings hundreds of seasonal harvest workers to Valais each year. Contract durations typically four to eight weeks, often with an extension option. In migration-law terms:

  • for EU/EFTA nationals: L permit under the AFMP standard, where applicable the notification procedure up to 90 days;
  • for third-country nationals: L permit with proof of need and quota availability (Art. 19 FNIA in conjunction with Art. 20 OASA), in practice strongly restrictive;
  • practice varies depending on the district and the wine-growing cooperative society. The respectively applicable cantonal seasonal quota is to be checked with the competent cantonal authority. .

7. Voting rights in GR/VS

7.1 Graubünden (GR)

In GR there is no municipal and no cantonal right to vote and to stand for election for foreign nationals. The active and passive right to vote and to stand for election is tied to Swiss citizenship (basis: Graubünden cantonal constitution, cantonal law). The respective current version is to be checked via the official cantonal website. .

7.2 Valais (VS)

In VS there is no municipal and no cantonal right to vote and to stand for election for foreign nationals. The active and passive right to vote and to stand for election is tied to Swiss citizenship (basis: Valais cantonal constitution, cantonal law). The respective current version is to be checked via the official cantonal website. .

7.3 Cluster observation

By intercantonal comparison, GR and VS thus belong to the majority of Swiss cantons that do not have a foreign-national voting right. Individual cantons of French-speaking Switzerland (in particular NE and JU), as well as, at municipal level, further cantons (such as Fribourg in certain constellations), by contrast provide for a limited foreign-national voting right. This is a descriptive categorization, not a value judgment. Authoritative in each case is the current cantonal law (see the Romandie standard-practice cluster, section Voting rights). .

8. Tax status — brief contextualization

Anti-Scope: SIP is not tax advice. The following information serves exclusively for migration-law contextualization and does not replace any tax advice.

8.1 GR — tax context

The municipal and cantonal tax burden in Graubünden varies between municipalities; a summary assessment ("high" or "low") is deliberately not made here, since it is neither relevant for migration law nor a task of SIP. The current tax rates are to be obtained from the official cantonal tax administration. .

For migration-law proceedings, the tax burden is not directly relevant. It becomes indirectly a topic when the civil-law domicile within the meaning of Art. 23 of the Swiss Civil Code (CC, SR 210) is disputed (fictitious-domicile constellations according to Federal Supreme Court case law).

8.2 VS — tax context

In Valais too, the tax burden varies between municipalities; a summary assessment is deliberately not made here. The current tax rates are to be obtained from the official cantonal tax administration. .

8.3 Anti-scope reminder and correct legal bases

SIP provides no tax advice. Individual tax questions are to be assessed exclusively by a tax-qualified person. To situate the frequently mentioned constellations — without advice:

  • Withholding tax in the case of seasonal work: the withholding tax on income from gainful employment is levied and assessed cantonally; it does not rest on the provisions of the Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation (DBG/FIFD, SR 642.11) concerning tax deduction on movable capital assets. A subsequent ordinary assessment (SOA) regularly comes into consideration above a gross-salary threshold on the order of CHF 120,000; the concrete application is determined according to cantonal tax law and the relevant federal requirements on withholding taxation. .
  • DTA crediting: according to the respectively applicable double-taxation agreement (for the GR southern valleys and VS border proximity, in particular the Italy DTA, SR 0.672.945.41).
  • Expenditure-based taxation (lump-sum taxation) for wealthy persons without gainful employment in Switzerland: regulated at federal level in Art. 14 DBG/FIFD (SR 642.11), with supplementary cantonal law.

9. Language complexity in this cluster

9.1 GR — proof of language depending on the municipality

For proceedings in GR, the proof of language under Art. 58a FNIA in conjunction with Art. 77d OASA must be provided in the official language of the municipality of residence. The level indications below constitute a rough, non-exhaustive orientation; the levels required in the individual case follow from the concrete procedure and the practice of the authorities, and do not constitute a guaranteed legal basis of entitlement:

  • German: fide certificate or equivalent, at the respectively required level (orientational: lower level for certain residence constellations, higher level for the early grant of the C settlement permit and for naturalisation; see the proof of language).
  • Italian: fide certificate or equivalent in the Italian-speaking districts.
  • Romansh: proof-of-language practice not definitively established. In Romansh-speaking municipalities, German is in part recognized as a lingua franca; in the case of an explicit choice of Romansh, the proof practice is to be clarified case by case with the competent authority. .

9.2 VS — proof of language depending on the district

  • Upper Valais: proof of language in German (fide or equivalent).
  • Lower Valais: proof of language in French (DELF/DALF or fide-French).

9.3 IMPORTANT — change of municipality of residence and change of language

When a person changes residence within the canton across the language border (for example from Sion to Upper Valais, or from Chur to an Italian-speaking Mesolcina municipality), then the following change:

  • the language of proceedings of the new procedure;
  • where applicable the language of the proof of language required in future (for extension, change of status, naturalisation);
  • the proofs of language already acquired in the previous language remain in principle acquired; a renewed examination in the other language may, however, become necessary, depending on the type of procedure and the practice of the authorities.

Important: SIP provides no recommendation on the strategic choice of language or of the municipality of residence with a view to the proof-of-language regime. Such recommendations would be application of the law to an individual case and thus a lawyer's activity within the meaning of the Lawyers Act (LLCA, SR 935.61). See the proof of language and the change of canton (for intracantonal moves, the change-of-canton element of Art. 37 FNIA does not apply directly; authoritative are the notification obligations under Art. 15 FNIA and the cantonal notification system).

10. Supervisory commissions for the legal profession

10.1 GR — Graubünden supervisory authority

Supervision over the lawyers entered in the bar register (BfR) of the Canton of Graubünden lies with the cantonal lawyers' supervisory authority, which is organizationally located at the Cantonal Court of Graubünden.

Supervision: Anwaltsaufsichtsbehörde des Kantons Graubünden (lawyers' supervisory authority of the Canton of Graubünden), at the Cantonal Court of Graubünden. Binding address and complaints procedure: via the official site of the Cantonal Court of Graubünden — https://www.kantonsgericht.gr.ch

Complaints against lawyers for violation of the professional rules under Art. 12 of the Lawyers Act (LLCA, SR 935.61) are to be addressed to this supervisory authority. The current complaints procedure is to be checked via the official site.

10.2 VS — Valais supervisory commission

In Valais, the Chambre de surveillance des avocats / Aufsichtskommission über die Anwältinnen und Anwälte is competent; it is located at the Cantonal Court of Valais.

Supervision: Aufsichtskommission über die Anwältinnen und Anwälte / Chambre de surveillance des avocats, at the Tribunal cantonal du Valais / Kantonsgericht Wallis. Binding address and complaints procedure: via the official cantonal website (Justice/Courts section) — https://www.vs.ch

The Valais supervisory commission decides in German or French depending on the language of origin of the complaint and of the lawyer concerned.

10.3 Conference affiliation

Both supervisory authorities are members of the Conference of Cantonal Supervisory Authorities for the Legal Profession at national level.

11. Crisis pathway GR/VS

The following emergency numbers and protection services are relevant within the cluster. Language availability is multilingual (at least DE and FR, often also IT, EN and further languages via telephone interpreters):

  • Police emergency: 117
  • Ambulance emergency: 144
  • Fire-brigade emergency: 118
  • General emergency number (EU-wide, also CH): 112
  • The Helping Hand (advice in crises, around the clock): 143 — multilingual
  • Pro Juventute — advice for children and young people (around the clock): 147 — multilingual
  • Victim support: cantonal victim-support advice centres under the Victim Support Act (OHG/VSA, SR 312.5); the competent centre and the respectively current telephone number are to be obtained via the official cantonal victim-support website.

11.1 Women's shelters

Protective accommodation for persons affected by violence exists in both cantons; the addresses are confidential, and first contact takes place via the respective emergency number. Since women's-shelter telephone numbers are volatile and security-critical, no non-definitively-verified numbers are printed here — use the following secure channels:

  • In acute danger: police 117 (or 112).
  • Frauenhaus Graubünden (Chur region) — contact via the official women's-shelter/victim-support service of the Canton of GR.
  • Women's shelter Central/Lower Valais (Maison d'accueil) and Frauenhaus Oberwallis — contact via the official women's-shelter/victim-support service of the Canton of VS.
  • National overview of protective accommodation: via the official platform of the umbrella organization of women's shelters in Switzerland.

Relevant in migration-law terms: in constellations of domestic violence with the dissolution of the marital union, Art. 50 para. 2 FNIA (important personal reasons) may come into consideration for foreign spouses; the application depends on the individual case. See divorce and the right of residence (Art. 50 AIG) and (planned) the article on domestic violence.

12. Asylum practice in the cluster

12.1 Federal asylum centres (FAC/BAZ)

The allocation to asylum regions follows the federal-law structure of the six asylum regions; GR and VS are, depending on their geographical allocation, assigned to different asylum regions. The respective current allocation is to be checked with the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Within the cluster itself there are no large federal asylum centres; the nearest FAC sites lie outside it (for example in French-speaking Switzerland and in Eastern Switzerland/Ticino). .

12.2 Legal-protection advice (RBS)

The legal-protection advice centres (RBS) in the FACs are regulated by federal law. For asylum seekers whose residence, following cantonal allocation, is in GR or VS, the cantonal RBS is organized locally. See the N permit during the asylum procedure and the glossary on the Asylum Act.

12.3 Cantonal asylum practice

GR and VS follow the federal-law requirements of the Asylum Act (AsylA, SR 142.31). No autonomous special cantonal doctrine in the asylum field is discernible. The current practice on provisional admission (F) and on the enforcement of removals is to be checked with the competent cantonal and federal bodies. .

13. Naturalisation in the cluster

The requirements for ordinary naturalisation derive from two separate federal enactments: the Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0 — the legislative level) and the Citizenship Ordinance (BüV/CO, SR 141.01 — the ordinance level). Both cantons apply these federal-law requirements, supplemented by their own cantonal and municipal citizenship law. To be highlighted:

  • Federal minimum residence period: 10 years of residence in Switzerland, of which 3 of the last 5 years, including the year of application (Art. 9 SCA, SR 141.0).
  • Integration criteria: under Art. 12 SCA (SR 141.0) — namely respect for public security and order, respect for the values of the Federal Constitution, participation in economic life or the acquisition of education, as well as the encouragement and support of the integration of family members.
  • Language requirement: regulated not in the act, but in the ordinance — Art. 6 BüV/CO (SR 141.01) requires oral and written language competences in a national language (orientational: a higher level orally than in writing). Authoritative, depending on the municipality of residence, is German, Italian or Romansh (in GR), respectively German or French (in VS). .
  • Cantonal residence period: in addition to the federal time limit, the cantons require their own minimum residence period in the canton. The concrete time limits follow from the respective cantonal citizenship law and are to be checked via the official cantonal website:
    • GR: cantonal residence period under cantonal citizenship law. .
    • VS: cantonal residence period under cantonal citizenship law. .
  • Municipal level: in GR and VS, the municipality of residence has an essential say in the municipal naturalisation procedure; the detailed regulations differ between municipalities and are to be checked with the respective municipality. .

See the glossary on the Citizenship Act (BüG) and (planned) the path to naturalisation.

14. Processing time — handling of the first application

The following information consists of estimates on the basis of source documentation and empirical values; it is not binding and fluctuates depending on the type of application, the completeness of the file and the season:

  • GR — B first application (without complications, complete file): on the order of a few weeks to a few months. Seasonal L permits are often processed on an expedited basis during the season-preparation phase. Only the competent cantonal authority indicates binding processing times. .
  • VS — B first application: on the order of a few weeks to a few months. Owing to the site structure (Lower Valais and Upper Valais), regional differences may arise. .

Appeal proceedings (administrative-court appeal to the respective cantonal court) last, by experience, several months to over a year; binding statements are not possible. See the appeal pathway against rulings of the cantonal migration authorities. .

15. Cross-references

This file forms a cluster overview and refers to numerous further files. The following cross-links are the most important:

16. Anti-Scope — what this file and SIP in general do not provide

  • No cantonal strategy advice: SIP gives no recommendation as to whether a procedure would be "better" conducted in GR, in VS or in another canton. A comparative value-judgment statement between cantons would be empirically unsubstantiated and legally delicate.
  • No language-choice recommendations: SIP gives no recommendation as to the language in which an applying person should conduct their procedure in a multilingual canton. The choice of language is determined according to the municipality of residence and is not freely choosable; any margins of choice (for instance in bilingual municipalities such as Sierre or Fribourg) are to be assessed case by case by a lawyer admitted in the canton.
  • No tax advice: SIP is not tax advice. The tax statements in this file are exclusively contextualized in migration-law terms (civil-law domicile doctrine under Art. 23 CC, SR 210, in the framework of the fictitious-domicile discussion). For individual tax questions — in particular cantonal withholding-tax constellations for seasonal work, Italy-DTA crediting for Mesolcina border-proximity facts, expenditure-based taxation — a tax adviser should be engaged.
  • No positioning advice vis-à-vis the authorities: SIP gives no advice on how an applicant should "position" themselves in the procedure. Such advice is a lawyer's activity within the meaning of the Lawyers Act (LLCA, SR 935.61).
  • No individual application of the law: SIP does not apply the norms mentioned to the concrete facts of a concrete person. Anyone who needs legal advice in an individual situation should engage a lawyer entered in the bar register in the canton concerned. This applies in particular to: hardship-case proceedings under Art. 30 FNIA, naturalisation applications, Valais–Italy cross-border-worker constellations, the conduct of proceedings in Romansh in GR, as well as language-change constellations in the case of an intracantonal move across the language border (in particular VS Sierre–Brig or GR Chur–Mesolcina).