Cluster Romandie-Standard — cantonal practice VD/FR/NE/JU

1. Overview — the Romandie-Standard cluster

This in-depth treatment covers four French-speaking, or predominantly French-speaking, cantons of French-speaking Switzerland. A fundamental clarification is in order at the outset: the substantive law on foreign nationals and integration is regulated uniformly at federal level by the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20) and its implementing ordinance, the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (OASA, SR 142.201). The cantonal differences therefore do not concern the conditions for a permit as such, but rather the procedural enforcement, the organisation of the authorities, the handling of the discretion granted under federal law, and cantonal practice in matters of integration and naturalisation. Where reference is made below to "liberal", "integration-oriented" or "systematic" practice, this is a descriptive classification of the enforcement style within the framework prescribed by federal law — not a statement about the prospects of success of any specific application.

For reasons of substantive differentiation, the Canton of Geneva — a large Romandie canton with one of the highest proportions of foreign nationals in Switzerland, with its particular IO constellation and an autonomous practice line — is treated in a separate in-depth treatment (see the in-depth treatment of the Canton of Geneva). This cluster comprises:

• Vaud (VD) — in demographic terms one of the largest cantons in Switzerland and the largest canton of French-speaking Switzerland (the current FSO statistics are authoritative). Known, in inter-cantonal comparison, for a particularly systematic application of the integration agreement (Convention d'intégration) under Art. 58a FNIA. The cantonal migration authority is the Service de la population (SPoP) in Lausanne (official site: www.vd.ch).
• Fribourg (FR) — a bilingual canton with German and French as official languages. The city of Fribourg/Freiburg as well as the north-eastern districts (Lac, Singine) are predominantly German-speaking, while the other districts are French-speaking. The cantonal migration authority — the Service de la population et des migrants (SPoMi) — works bilingually (official site: www.fr.ch).
• Neuchâtel (NE) — a French-speaking canton with a historically rather integration-oriented enforcement tradition (within the federal-law framework that is the same for all cantons). Known for a long tradition of political participation by settled foreign nationals at municipal level and for the current practice of municipal voting rights for foreign nationals (details and reference dates: see section 8). The cantonal migration authority is the Service des migrations (SMIG) in Neuchâtel (official site: www.ne.ch).
• Jura (JU) — the youngest canton in Switzerland (founded in 1979 by separation from the Canton of Bern) and one of the least populous (the current FSO statistics are authoritative). French-speaking. Known for municipal and cantonal voting and electoral rights for foreign nationals holding a C settlement permit (details: see section 8). The cantonal migration authority is the Service de la population (SPOP) in Delémont (official site: www.jura.ch).

These four cantons differ markedly in population size, economic structure and political tradition, but share — with the exception of Fribourg's bilingual particularity — the French procedural language and a number of region-typical practice features (see section 4).

Anti-Scope: This in-depth treatment is not a recommendation for or against a particular canton of domicile. Jurisdiction for residence-law procedures follows in principle the domicile under the Swiss Civil Code (CC, SR 210), namely the concept of domicile of Art. 23 CC. A transfer of domicile solely to obtain migration-law advantages may, depending on the constellation, constitute an abuse of rights; the assessment in the individual case rests with the authority and, where applicable, with a lawyer.

2. Procedural language and language practice

The choice of procedural language is central in dealings with the cantonal authorities. The Romandie-Standard cantons handle the language question as follows:

• Vaud (VD): procedural language exclusively French. Applications, submissions and statements of grounds must be filed in French. Foreign-language documents require a certified translation into French. Documents from the SPoP, rulings and summonses are issued in French.
• Fribourg (FR): bilingual German and French at cantonal level. Applications and submissions may be filed, at the choice of the applicant, in German or French; rulings are issued in the chosen language. At municipal level, the official language of the municipality of domicile applies in principle — German in particular in the municipalities of the Singine and Lac districts, French in the other municipalities. The linguistic assignment of individual municipalities, in particular of the capital Fribourg/Freiburg, is a matter of cantonal language regulation and may change; the cantonal notice in force is authoritative (www.fr.ch).

• Neuchâtel (NE): procedural language exclusively French.
• Jura (JU): procedural language exclusively French.

For applicants with a different language qualification, this means in practice that, for a legally adequate submission in VD, NE and JU, it is advisable to engage a French-speaking lawyer or a counselling service specialised in migration law (see section 12), unless the applicant has the necessary language skills.

3. Cantonal migration authorities in detail

3.1 Vaud (VD) — Service de la population (SPoP)

The Service de la population (SPoP) of the Canton of Vaud is the authority responsible for all residence-law procedures in the canton. The exact departmental assignment of the service is periodically adjusted in the course of cantonal government reorganisations; the assignment in force, the postal address, the telephone numbers and the counter opening hours are to be obtained from the official authority website.

Service de la population (SPoP), Lausanne — binding contact details (address, telephone, e-mail, opening hours, online procedures) exclusively via the official authority website: www.vd.ch (Population/Foreign Nationals section).

The SPoP is internally structured into specialist areas which can functionally be assigned, among other things, as follows (the exact designation of the sections may change; the official authority website www.vd.ch is authoritative):

• Foreign Nationals area — residence-law procedures for the permanent resident population (B, C, L) as well as extensions, changes of status and family reunification.
• Asylum and return area — procedures relating to asylum, removal, F permits and return counselling.
• Naturalisation area — cantonal and municipal naturalisation procedures.

3.2 Fribourg (FR) — Service de la population et des migrants (SPoMi)

The Service de la population et des migrants (SPoMi) of the Canton of Fribourg is the responsible, bilingually operating authority for residence-law procedures. It is subordinate to the cantonal directorate responsible for security and justice (Direction de la sécurité et de la justice); the directorate assignment in force is to be obtained from the official authority website.

Service de la population et des migrants (SPoMi) — binding contact details (address, telephone, e-mail, opening hours, online procedures) exclusively via the official authority website: www.fr.ch (Foreign Nationals / SPoMi area).

The bilingualism of the SPoMi means that the procedural acts — from receipt of the application through the hearing to the ruling — can be conducted in German or French; the language of the ruling follows in principle the chosen application language. The scope of bilingual electronic application filing is being continuously expanded and is to be checked via the official authority website.

3.3 Neuchâtel (NE) — Service des migrations (SMIG)

The Service des migrations (SMIG) of the Canton of Neuchâtel is the authority responsible for all migration-law procedures. The directorate assignment of the service depends on the current state of the cantonal government organisation; the assignment in force as well as the binding contact details are to be obtained from the official authority website.

Service des migrations (SMIG), Neuchâtel — binding contact details (address, telephone, e-mail, opening hours, online procedures) exclusively via the official authority website: www.ne.ch (Migration / SMIG area).

A particularity of the Canton of Neuchâtel is the structural proximity of the migration authority to cantonal social policy: the migration service, social services and integration offices work in a close cooperation by inter-cantonal comparison. This collaboration has historically been reflected in a rather integration-oriented interpretation of the federal-law standards — it being understood that the federal-law conditions apply equally to all cantons and that the cantonal practice moves within the discretionary framework prescribed by federal law.

3.4 Jura (JU) — Service de la population (SPOP)

The Service de la population (SPOP) of the Canton of Jura is the authority responsible for residence-law procedures. Owing to the small size of the canton, it is a comparatively small administrative unit in which the internal subdivision is less pronounced than in the larger cantons of the cluster.

Service de la population (SPOP), Delémont — binding contact details (address, telephone, e-mail, opening hours, online procedures) exclusively via the official authority website: www.jura.ch (SPOP area).

The small size of the canton has varying effects in practice: shorter administrative channels and more personal contacts may be offset by less specialist differentiation. Reliable, comparable processing-time statistics are not published consistently; the authority provides information on processing times in the individual case.

4. Common Romandie practice features

Beyond the individual cantonal particularities, a number of region-typical practice features can be observed for the Romandie-Standard cluster, which tend to differ from the practice of the German-speaking cantons:

• Stronger prevalence of the Convention d'intégration (integration criteria of Art. 58a FNIA, agreement of Art. 58b FNIA): in all four cantons — and particularly markedly in Vaud — the Convention d'intégration is an instrument used more systematically than in many German-speaking cantons. See section 5.
• Proof of French-language skills: typically serving as standard proofs are the DELF/DALF (Diplôme d'études en langue française / Diplôme approfondi de langue française) as well as the fide certificate in French. In the German-speaking part of the Canton of Fribourg, proofs recognised for German (for example Goethe certificates or telc Deutsch) may come into consideration as equivalent evidence. The cantonal recognition list in force is always authoritative; the authoritative federal-law basis is the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (OASA, SR 142.201).

• Naturalisation with cantonal hearing: in French-speaking Switzerland, the cantonal hearing in the naturalisation procedure — beyond the minimum standards prescribed by federal law in the Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0) — tends to be more widespread than in German-speaking Switzerland. The concrete arrangement varies by canton (see section 7).
• Francophone practice networking: the migration authorities of French-speaking Switzerland exchange views regularly within the framework of the Conférence des chefs de département de justice et police des cantons romands as well as the CDCM (Conférence des directrices et directeurs des départements cantonaux de justice et police). The convergence of practice among the Romandie cantons therefore tends to be higher than the convergence with German-speaking cantons.

5. Convention d'intégration (Art. 58a FNIA and Art. 58b FNIA) — Romandie practice

For the legal classification, two interrelated norms of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20) are to be distinguished: Art. 58a FNIA describes the integration criteria (respect for public security and order, respect for the values of the Federal Constitution, language competence as well as participation in economic life or acquisition of education), against which the degree of integration of a foreign national is measured. Art. 58b FNIA then governs the integration agreement (Convention d'intégration) and the integration recommendation as the procedural instruments by which the canton gives concrete form to these criteria vis-à-vis third-country nationals with an established integration need; the more detailed arrangement results from the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (OASA, SR 142.201). The four cantons of the cluster deploy this instrument with differing degrees of systematicity:

• Vaud (VD) — systematic use: the Canton of Vaud is known, in inter-cantonal comparison, for a particularly systematic application of the integration agreement under Art. 58b FNIA. In practice, a Convention is regularly considered upon the grant of a permit to third-country nationals (notably in family reunification) where indicators of an integration need within the meaning of Art. 58a FNIA are present — for example insufficient language skills, lack of participation in economic life or lack of knowledge of the values of the Federal Constitution (Cst., SR 101). In terms of content, the Convention typically contains commitments to attend language courses (French, depending on the starting situation at a level between A1 and B1), to participate in integration programmes and to secure economic self-sufficiency. Non-fulfilment of an integration agreement may, under Art. 62 para. 1 let. f FNIA, constitute a ground for revocation; a revocation, however, always presupposes an individual-case assessment and in particular the safeguarding of proportionality, and does not occur automatically. The mere failure to reach a language objective does not, in itself, lead to loss of status.

• Fribourg (FR) — standardised, but more restrained use: the SPoMi applies a standardised Convention practice, which takes hold less systematically than in Vaud. The use typically occurs in the case of established deficits in the context of extension procedures or in family reunification.

• Neuchâtel (NE) — moderate: the SMIG uses the Convention d'intégration rather sparingly, with an emphasis on language promotion and concrete integration support rather than on sanction-backed obligations. The canton's historically integration-oriented line is reflected in this emphasis.
• Jura (JU) — rare: in the Canton of Jura, the use of the Convention d'intégration is rare in the practice followed to date; the small number of cases favours individual treatment.

Cross-link: For the in-depth presentation of the Convention d'intégration under Art. 58a FNIA and Art. 58b FNIA, its legal conditions, the permissible contents and the consequences of non-fulfilment, see the integration agreement (Art. 58a FNIA).

Anti-Scope: SwissImmigrationPro provides no strategy for avoiding or circumventing a Convention d'intégration. The legal and strategic assessment belongs to legal practice and is to be handled through a lawyer entered in the cantonal bar register (BfR) in the canton of domicile.

6. Proof of language skills — practice table of the four cantons

The following table presents in summary form the proofs of language skills typically accepted in the four cantons. It does not replace the cantonal individual-case practice and the official notices in force in each case:

The table reflects a typified orientation and is not exhaustive; the cantonal lists are updated selectively, and new language-examination providers may be added. Authoritative are the cantonal recognition list in force in each case as well as the federal-law requirements of the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (OASA, SR 142.201), namely Art. 77d OASA on recognised proofs of language skills.

Cross-link: For the detailed presentation of the language examinations, their level stages and their recognition, see the proof of language skills (A1 / A2 / B1 fide).

Anti-Scope: SwissImmigrationPro provides no strategic advice on language examinations (choice of examination, preparation strategy, repetition strategy). The choice of examination format is an individual decision.

7. Naturalisation in French-speaking Switzerland

Ordinary naturalisation in the cantons of French-speaking Switzerland follows the three-stage procedure of the Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0): municipal and cantonal assessment as well as the federal naturalisation authorisation issued by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The formal conditions — notably the federal-law minimum period of residence of ten years — result from Art. 9 SCA; the substantive conditions (successful integration, familiarity with Swiss living conditions, no endangerment of internal or external security) from Art. 11 SCA and Art. 12 SCA. The concrete requirements as to language competence and familiarity with living conditions are not given concrete form in the Act, but in the Citizenship Ordinance (CitO, SR 141.01) as a separate enactment; the additional municipal and cantonal residence periods are governed by the respective cantonal citizenship law. The Romandie-Standard cantons exhibit the following particularities:

• Vaud (VD): cantonal practice provides for a reinforced cantonal hearing that goes beyond the federal-law minimum standard. Municipal practice varies considerably: in some municipalities a citizens' assembly decides on the naturalisation, in others an elected municipal body decides. The concrete municipal arrangement is to be enquired about with the respective municipality of domicile.

• Fribourg (FR): procedure under the SCA with cantonal assessment of integration. The language requirement takes account of bilingualism: candidates from predominantly German-speaking districts (Singine, Lac) may prove their language competence in German, candidates from French-speaking districts in French.

• Neuchâtel (NE): procedure with an emphasis on the municipal level; the cantonal assessment takes place after a publication of the naturalisation application in the municipality of domicile.
• Jura (JU): owing to the small size of the canton, the practice is comparatively uniform; the municipal level is less strongly differentiated than in the larger cantons of the cluster.

Anti-Scope: SwissImmigrationPro provides no strategic advice on the choice of municipality of domicile with regard to naturalisation practice. The choice of municipality is a choice of place of residence, not a migration-law strategy.

8. Voting and electoral rights of foreign nationals in French-speaking Switzerland

In inter-cantonal comparison, French-speaking Switzerland is among the areas of Switzerland with the most extensive recognition of voting and electoral rights for foreign nationals at municipal and, in part, cantonal level. The following information sketches the basic situation; the reference dates, the precise residence periods and the scope of the active and passive electoral rights result from the respective cantonal constitutions and electoral laws and are to be consulted there with binding effect:

• Vaud (VD): municipal voting and electoral rights for foreign nationals holding a C settlement permit, introduced following a cantonal constitutional revision. A C settlement permit as well as a multi-year residence period in Switzerland and in the canton are required. At cantonal level, there is no voting right for foreign nationals.
• Fribourg (FR): at municipal level, there is no general voting right for foreign nationals; corresponding proposals have been rejected in the past. The topic is taken up recurrently in cantonal politics; the current state is to be checked via the cantonal sources.
• Neuchâtel (NE): municipal voting and electoral rights for foreign nationals holding a C settlement permit after a multi-year residence period in the canton — the canton has a particularly long tradition of political participation by settled foreign nationals. At cantonal level, foreign nationals have limited political rights; the exact scope is governed by cantonal law.
• Jura (JU): municipal and cantonal voting and electoral rights for foreign nationals holding a C settlement permit after a multi-year residence period in Switzerland and in the canton. The passive electoral right (eligibility to be elected) is framed more narrowly than the active voting right.

These political rights are not directly authoritative for the residence-law assessment in the narrower sense, but may acquire significance, within the framework of the integration assessment under Art. 58a FNIA as well as in the assessment of a naturalisation application, as an indicator of political participation.

9. Asylum practice and counselling services in French-speaking Switzerland

Asylum practice in French-speaking Switzerland is shaped by the Federal Asylum Centre (FAC) Boudry (NE) for the western Swiss region. The FAC Boudry is the central point of contact for asylum seekers whose procedure is assigned to the Romandie region. The subsequent distribution among the cantons takes place according to the distribution key of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) pursuant to the Asylum Act (AsylA, SR 142.31), namely Art. 27 AsylA (distribution among the cantons and assignment).

The free legal representation responsible for the asylum and removal procedure is provided, within the framework of the federal-law mandate, by mandated legal counselling offices (LCO). For French-speaking Switzerland, the following organisations traditionally act, among others; the current mandate situation, jurisdiction and the binding contact details are to be checked via the organisation or the FAC Boudry:

• Vaud (VD): Service d'aide juridique aux exilé·e·s (SAJE) of EPER/HEKS (Entraide Protestante Suisse), Lausanne.
• Fribourg (FR): Caritas Suisse, Fribourg.
• Neuchâtel (NE): Centre social protestant Neuchâtel (CSP NE), Neuchâtel.
• Jura (JU): legal counselling via Caritas Suisse or the CSP Berne-Jura.

Free legal representation in the asylum procedure is regulated in the Asylum Act (AsylA, SR 142.31, namely Art. 102f–102m AsylA). Outside the asylum procedure — that is, in ordinary law on foreign nationals under the FNIA (SR 142.20) — this mandate does not apply; here the regular lawyers and specialised counselling services come into play (see section 12).

10. Tax practice and economic background

The cantonal tax burden is not a subject of migration-law advice and is addressed here only briefly and without evaluative classification, for contextual purposes. Tax comparisons between cantons and concrete statements on the tax burden belong to tax advice and are to be enquired about with binding effect from the cantonal tax administrations:

• Vaud (VD): the withholding tax for B-permit holders taxed at source follows the cantonal withholding-tax tariff. Information is provided by the cantonal tax administration (Administration cantonale des impôts, ACI).
• Fribourg (FR): levy of withholding tax according to the cantonal tariff; information via the cantonal tax administration.
• Neuchâtel (NE): levy of withholding tax according to the cantonal tariff; information via the cantonal tax administration.
• Jura (JU): levy of withholding tax according to the cantonal tariff; information via the cantonal tax administration.

Withholding tax on earned income is a cantonally levied tax; it is levied, for employees taxed at source without a C settlement permit, in all four cantons according to the respective cantonal withholding-tax tariff. From a certain gross annual income, the person taxed at source is subsequently subject to ordinary assessment (subsequent ordinary assessment, SOA); this threshold and the modalities are based on the Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation (DFTA, SR 642.11) as well as on harmonised cantonal tax law (Tax Harmonisation Act, THA, SR 642.14) and are implemented at cantonal level. The exact income threshold and the assessment modalities are to be enquired about with the cantonal tax administration.

Anti-Scope: SwissImmigrationPro provides no tax advice. Questions on withholding tax, on subsequent ordinary assessment, on social deductions and on inter-cantonal or international double-taxation issues are to be answered by qualified tax advisers or by the cantonal tax administrations.

11. Supervisory commissions and cantonal bar

For lawyer referral within the framework of the SIP Marketplace and for one's own research, the cantonal supervision of lawyers is authoritative. The designations below are to be understood as orientation; binding contact details and the current register status are to be obtained from the respective cantonal supervisory authority or the cantonal bar register:

• Vaud (VD): supervision by the cantonal bar supervisory commission (Chambre des avocats); the cantonal professional organisation is the Ordre des avocats vaudois (OAV).
• Fribourg (FR): supervision by the competent cantonal bar supervision; professional organisation: Ordre des avocats fribourgeois.
• Neuchâtel (NE): supervision by the competent cantonal bar supervision; professional organisation: Ordre des avocats neuchâtelois.
• Jura (JU): supervision by the competent cantonal bar supervision; professional organisation: Ordre des avocats jurassiens.

The supervision of lawyers is carried out under the Federal Act on the Free Movement of Lawyers (LLCA, SR 935.61) and the corresponding cantonal implementing acts. Entries in the cantonal bar register and any disciplinary measures can be inspected or enquired about via the competent cantonal body.

Anti-Scope: SwissImmigrationPro provides no individual lawyer recommendation outside the SIP Marketplace. Referral takes place according to a structured procedure and according to LLCA-compliant criteria.

12. Counselling services outside the asylum procedure

For non-asylum migration-law questions — that is, within the scope of application of the FNIA (SR 142.20), the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP, SR 0.142.112.681) and the Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0) — there are specialised counselling services in the four cantons. The following bodies are a non-exhaustive orientation; binding contact details are to be obtained from the respective organisation:

• Vaud (VD): Centre social protestant Vaud (CSP VD), Lausanne, specialised in social, legal and administrative questions for migrants. The CSP VD is a civil-society organisation and not an LCO within the meaning of the Asylum Act. Alongside it exists the Fraternité du CSP for the counselling of persons without regularised residence.
• Fribourg (FR): Caritas Suisse, Fribourg counselling office, as well as Espace Femmes Fribourg for migration-specific women's counselling.
• Neuchâtel (NE): Centre social protestant Neuchâtel (CSP NE) as well as RECIF (Rencontres et Échanges entre Citoyens d'Ici et de Là-Bas) for intercultural counselling.
• Jura (JU): Caritas Suisse, Jura office, as well as CSP Berne-Jura for migration-law counselling.

These counselling services complement lawyer referral and are, in particular for persons without the means to engage a lawyer, first points of contact.

13. Geographical and economic profile

To place the four cantons in the Swiss context:

• Vaud (VD): Lausanne as capital (one of the larger cities of Switzerland with an extensive agglomeration), Lake Geneva, the Riviera Vaudoise (Vevey, Montreux), Lavaux (viticulture, UNESCO World Heritage), the Vaud Jura and the Nord vaudois. Economic focal points: tourism (hotel industry, gastronomy, congresses), higher education (EPFL Lausanne, Université de Lausanne, IMD Business School), medical technology and pharma (around Lausanne and Vevey), international sports organisations.
• Fribourg (FR): capital Fribourg/Freiburg, with bilingualism as a cantonal distinguishing feature. Economy: agriculture (milk, cheese — Vacherin, Gruyère), medium-sized industrial enterprises, higher education (Université de Fribourg / Universität Freiburg), increasing commuter interlinkage with the Greater Bern area.
• Neuchâtel (NE): capital Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle as a watchmaking centre (UNESCO World Heritage Urbanisme horloger). Economic focal points: watchmaking industry and microtechnology, Université de Neuchâtel, tourism on Lake Neuchâtel.
• Jura (JU): capital Delémont. With three districts (Delémont, Porrentruy, Franches-Montagnes), the least populous Romandie canton. Economy: agriculture (horse breeding in the Franches-Montagnes, traditional products), microtechnology (suppliers to the watchmaking industry), growing tourism. Note: the town of Moutier (previously Canton of Bern) has voted, in a municipal ballot, in favour of the transfer to the Canton of Jura; the change of canton is subject to constitutional and federal-law conditions and is being implemented in a staggered manner over time. The current state and the reference date of the transfer are to be checked via the official cantonal and federal sources.

These geographical and economic particularities have an indirect effect on migration practice: the labour market shapes the typical permit constellation (university B permits in VD and NE around the universities, permits under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP, SR 0.142.112.681) in the medium-sized industrial enterprises of FR, cross-border-commuter constellations in JU/FR with France), the housing-market situation touches the assessment of family reunification with persons holding a B residence permit under Art. 44 FNIA (which presupposes in particular suitable housing), and the cultural imprint of the cantons has an effect on municipal naturalisation practice.

14. Cross-References — in-depth treatments within the SIP corpus

This cluster in-depth treatment refers to the following complementary content:

• The cantonal enactments in migration law — an overview of all 26 cantons, with reference to the respective LaLEtr / cantonal implementing acts to the FNIA.
• The in-depth treatment of the Canton of Geneva — for comparison and contrast: principal Romandie canton with special IO practice.
• The in-depth treatment of the cluster of German-speaking standard cantons (planned) — for the inter-regional comparison.
• The integration agreement (Art. 58a FNIA) — Convention d'intégration in depth, with the VD-specific manifestation.
• The proof of language skills (A1 / A2 / B1 fide) — language examinations, recognised diplomas, level stages.
• The change of canton (Art. 37 FNIA) — relevant on departure from or arrival in a Romandie canton.
• The hardship-case rule (Art. 30 FNIA) — hardship case under Art. 30 para. 1 let. b FNIA (relevant practice differences in the four cantons).
• The family reunification with a Swiss national and the marriage to a Swiss national — family reunification and marriage to a Swiss national.

15. Anti-Scope — what this in-depth treatment does not do

For reasons of professional ethics (LLCA), of clarity in the allocation of roles between a knowledge platform and a lawyer's service, as well as of medium- to long-term credibility vis-à-vis the cantonal supervisory commissions, SwissImmigrationPro expressly keeps the following topics outside its scope of services:

• No strategy for avoiding the Convention d'intégration: the assessment of whether and to what extent a Convention is offered or enforced belongs to legal practice. SIP gives no indications on lines of argument for fending off or modifying a Convention.
• No strategic advice on language examinations: the choice of examination format (DELF/DALF, fide, TCF, TEF, Goethe, telc), the preparation strategy and the repetition planning are individual decisions.
• No tax advice: questions on withholding tax, SOA, social deductions and double taxation belong to qualified tax advisers.
• No canton-shopping strategy: no recommendation is given as to in which Romandie canton a procedure could be conducted "more advantageously". Jurisdiction follows the domicile under Art. 23 CC.
• No insider tips on case officers or informal practices: SIP gives no indications on individual authority staff or on informal application timings.
• No appeal strategy: the choice of legal remedies and the argumentative line belong to legal practice in the respective canton.
• No individual lawyer recommendation outside the SIP Marketplace: referral takes place within the structured Marketplace procedure.

For individual questions, a lawyer entered in the cantonal bar register (BfR) in the respective canton of domicile is to be consulted. The SIP Marketplace refers according to structured criteria.

16. Note on currency and reviewer reservation

A number of matters must be specifically verified before a release — namely the authorities' contact details and responsibilities, the internal organisation of the migration authorities, the cantonal language-recognition lists, the reference dates and periods of the voting and electoral rights of foreign nationals, the SOA income threshold as well as the status of the change of canton of Moutier (BE → JU). These open verification points are deposited in the source text as non-published editorial notes.

The practice on the Convention d'intégration reacts particularly sensitively to changes of government in the cantons; a practice line may shift over time. Before any operational advice to end clients, the concrete state must therefore be verified with the migration authorities VD/FR/NE/JU as well as with a lawyer entered in the cantonal bar register (BfR) who is active in practice.