Visa and Requirements

You are exempt from needing a Type D visa if you hold a passport from a European Union (EU) country or a European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member state (Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland). Also, if you hold a valid residence permit or a visa D for a long-term stay of a Schengen state, you can enter Switzerland.

Upon arrival, students who are residents of EU/EFTA need to register with the local authorities (commune) in the town where they are staying within 8-14 days (depending on the requirements of the commune) from their arrival date in Switzerland. Following registration, the student will be invited to the Biometry Centre in Lausanne to register biometric data for the Swiss residence permit.

The applicant must prove that they have come to Switzerland to study and that they are enrolled with AUS. For this, AUS will support with the necessary documentation. Students must also prove that they have health insurance and can cover their living costs during their stay. The residence permit is usually issued for the duration of the study program, but depending on the student’s situation, it might be issued yearly with the possibility of renewing the residence permit each year.

Students can hold jobs but for no more than 15 hours a week; otherwise, they must apply for a work permit. Working while studying is possible, but should not prolongate the study duration excessively. The student’s family (spouse and children) can join the student in Switzerland, but the student has to show they have enough resources to accommodate them.

Non-EU/EFTA member states students must apply for a visa at the Swiss embassy or consulate in their home country. It is advisable to verify visa eligibility through the provided link or consult with your Education Counselor.

Passport holders from Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom may require an AAS (Assurance d’Autorisation de Séjour) instead of a Type D student visa to enter Switzerland.

Check the visa requirements on the website of the Swiss Confederation

Once the Admissions Process has been completed, the AUS Student Recruitment Officer will support the prospective students through visa and immigration arrangements that allow them to study in Switzerland. The AUS website offers prospective students the possibility to start getting familiar with the visa requirements or submit the applicable documentation to AUS if they wish, even before an Offer Letter has been presented to them; however, an official application to the relevant Swiss authorities can only be submitted after the applicant has completed the admissions process and received an Acceptance Letter from AUS.

To prepare the official application to the Swiss embassy or consulate in the country of residence of the applicant, the prospective student will be required to submit the following documents to the AUS Student Recruitment Officer:

1. CV of the applicant
2. Proof of language proficiency
3. Proof of sufficient funds

In order to support the application with the Swiss embassy/consulate in the applicant's country of residence, AUS will provide the Visa Application, Acceptance Letter, Study Plan, and Written undertaking. However, it is the responsibility of the applicant to explore the necessary documentation and procedure with the relevant embassies/consulates.

Once the visa application is complete, the prospective student is responsible for submitting their visa application in the country of residence; also, it rests with the applicant to schedule an appointment at the Swiss embassy.

Schedule an appointment at your nearest Swiss embassy or consulate to submit your study visa application as soon as you have completed the following:

1. Signed the Offer letter;
2. Paid the Admission Fee;
3. Completed and submitted the visa application form on the AUS website.

Once you have secured an appointment, inform the AUS Team so that necessary documents can be provided for submission at the embassy.

Check where your closest Swiss embassy or consulate is
As the visa process can take up to 8-12 weeks, we recommend that international applicants submit their AUS study applications promptly to ensure timely visa acquisition.
A Schengen visa application should be submitted no earlier than six months before the planned entry into the Schengen area. Please refrain from attempting to enter Switzerland with a tourist visa.

You will be asked to submit the documents (general) listed below to the Swiss embassy or onsulate in your country of residence:

1. Type D visa application form
2. Valid national passport
3. Passport size pictures
4. Copies of all your diplomas and transcripts
5. Curriculum Vitae/Resume
6. Motivation Letter – A short essay explaining why you want to study at the American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland; your future plans: professional development intended after finishing the studies in Switzerland; explanation on how it is going to benefit you in the future. The letter must be signed and dated. (If you are an applicant of over 30 years old: please read the guidance)
7. Proof of sufficient financial means (Bank statements/certificates, sponsor commitment letter and financial proofs)
8. Acceptance letter and Study plan from AUS
9. Receipt of payment of school tuition and fees from AUS
10. A written confirmation of the applicant that he/she will leave Switzerland after completion of program
11. If younger than 18 years old, you have to provide authorization signed by the parents, and other documents.

Your documents will need to be in French, German, Italian, or English. If they are not in that language, you will need a certified translation of those documents.

The visa process poses higher risks of refusal for Bachelor's and Master’s students over the age of 30. To mitigate these risks, we strongly recommend:
●  Ensure your Study/post-study statement convincingly explains why you have chosen Master’s study over direct employment.
●  Explicitly state in the post-study statement that you will leave Switzerland upon program completion.
●  Note that the study visa does not permit spouses or dependents to accompany you during your studies.

Once all required documents are submitted, the processing of your application for the long-stay visa will take up to 8-12 weeks.

An invitation to come return to the Swiss embassy or consulate to get the Swiss visa stamped on your passport might be sent to you. On some occasions, it is AUS that gets the visa authorization instead of you; in such cases, the team will share the document with you and instruct you further.

Note that the approval and refusal of the visa rest solely with the Swiss authorities. AUS will not be held liable or responsible for any inconvenience caused by the visa application process or any violation of visa conditions.

Should applicants be unhappy with an unsatisfactory visa application decision, they have the option to submit an appeal to the Swiss Service de la Population (SPOP) or Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). As this would be an individual endeavor of the student, who is the applicant for the visa, they are strongly encouraged to seek legal counsel on their standing and applicable process for appeal.

After arriving in Switzerland, non-EU/EFTA students need to register with the local authorities (commune) in the town where they are staying within 8-14 days (depending on the requirements of the commune) from their arrival date in Switzerland. Following registration, the student will be invited to the Biometry Centre in Lausanne to register biometric data for the Swiss residence permit.

Once you’ve completed your studies, you can extend your residency permit for six more months with the purpose of job search. During this period, you’re allowed to work for 15 hours a week. To apply, you need to provide the commune/cantonal migration office with the following documents:

• Certificate of program completion
• Evidence you can financially support yourself

You can also apply to extend your residence permit if you want to continue to study in Switzerland for postgraduate studies, but you must have an official offer.

Working while studying is an option for many foreign students in Switzerland.
·   The working hours for students are limited during the school year and there are a few requirements that you fulfill.
·   International students can work up to 15 hours a week
·   During semester holidays international students can work up to 100%.
·   Students from outside the EU/EFTA countries may start working only 6 months after starting their degree program.

The internship constitutes a voluntary part of the program curriculum at AUS. However, internships are strongly encouraged because this hands-on approach to learning and contributing to society is fundamental to our approach to education in order to provide students with opportunities to apply the skills they learn in real-world environments. The credits awarded for the internship are recognized in the category of electives. The student must inform the AUS Administration about the internship opportunities.

●  Proof of payment
The visa process can be expedited if you provide evidence of payment. Some embassies even require proof of payment from both the student and the school.

●  Penalties if you enter Switzerland without a study visa

●  Any student who requires a visa but enters Switzerland without a study visa is subject to a financial penalty and may be refused entrance at the American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.

●  Deferring your studies 
If you must defer your studies to the next term and you have started the visa formalities at the embassy or consulate but your passport has not yet been stamped, the visa can easily be deferred to the next semester. Once the passport has been stamped, a deferral is no longer possible, and you will have to start the visa formalities once again.