Internship in Switzerland for foreign nationals

1. Internship in Switzerland for foreign nationals

With a B Student Permit issued in Ticino, it is possible for students with non-Swiss and non-EU nationality to do an internship in the Canton Ticino. According to Swiss Law, the Immigration Office in Bellinzona must be informed of the internship activity through an application and must approve it.
Please note that during the internship the student will keep the B Student Permit, which grants the right to employment by certain limits, but in no case can or will it will be changed into a regular work permit.

Requirements for the internship application to the Immigration Office:

1. Contract
   Once the internship is found and agreed upon, it is required to produce a contract, duly signed and dated by the employer and the student, which includes the following information:
   • Internship start/end dates
   • Workload (hours of work per day/week)
   • Workplace
   • Salary
      
2. USI Career Service declaration letter
   Bring a copy of the contract to the Career Service and ask for the internship declaration letter, in which it is stated that the internship represents a significant experience and of pivotal importance to complement the students’ academic curricula.
    
3. Online application
   With Career Service declaration letter it is then possible to initiate the application procedure for a change of permit at the Immigration Office website (Notifica inizio impiego studenti permesso B o L). The application form is available only in Italian.
    
4. Send the document by post to the Immigration Office
   After completing the online procedure, the student will see a list of documents to be attached and sent by post to the Migration Office in Bellinzona (via Lugano 4, 6501 Bellinzona).

Please note that the approval of the Immigration Office must be issued before the beginning of the internship (the application must be submitted at least 15 days beforehand), otherwise it will be considered illegal.
Please note that if during the internship the annual income exceeds CHF 2,300, the employer is required to request the AVS (Swiss social security system) number for the student (this can also be done before the approval for the modification of the residence permit).

IMPORTANT: procedures are subject to changes made by the Immigration Office for which the Career Service is not responsible!

1.1 Part-time job in Switzerland for foreign nationals

With a B Student Permit issued in Ticino, it is possible for students with non-Swiss and non-EU nationality to take advantage of the opportunity to work 15 hours a week or to work full time during the summer months (July and August).
According to the Swiss Law, the Immigration Office in Bellinzona must be informed of the student’s part-time work activity through an application.

The application’s procedure is the following:

• Once found the part-time job it is necessary to produce a contract of employment, duly signed and dated by the employer and the student, which includes the following information:
  • Start date
  • Workload (the exact number of working hours, which must not exceedi15 hours per week if during the semester)
  • Workplace
  • Salary
• Once you have the contract, download the relevant certificate (15 hours-per-week job, or summer job)
• With these documents it is possible to start the online application for the resident permit change at the Immigration Office website (Notifica inizio impiego studenti permesso B o L).
• After completing the online procedure, the student will see a list of documents to be attached and sent by post to the Migration Office in Bellinzona (via Lugano 4, 6501 Bellinzona).