Types of residence permits For a partner of a professor or for teaching staff the normal provisions for the granting of a residency apply. Types of residence permits Residence permit Explanation C Permit: Permanent Residence Permit Permanent residents are foreigners who receive the permanent residence permit after a stay of five or ten years in Switzerland. The right of residence shall be unlimited and cannot be made subject to conditions. As an HSG professor, you receive a C permit immediately. Third-country nationals Third-country nationals are usually issued permanent residence permits after ten years of regular and uninter-rupted residence in Switzerland. A special rule applies for citizens of the U.S. and Canada, though no legal right exists in these cases. People who hold a permanent resi-dence permit are no longer subject to border regulations, can freely choose among employers and are not subject to withholding tax. B Permit: Residence Permit Residents are foreign nationals who will reside in Switzerland for a particular purpose over a longer period of time with or without employment. The residence permit for relatives from EU/EFTA nations (EU/EFTA citizens) will be valid for five years and will be granted if the EU/EFTA citizens provide proof of permanent employment or temporary employment to last at least 365 days. For citizens of the EU-2 countries (Bulgaria and Romania) additional provisions are required for the application. Third-country nationals The validity of an initial residence permit for third-country nationals is usually limited to one year. First-time employment permits may only be granted within limits that are set annually and in accordance with Article 20 AuG. Permits that have been granted once before will normally be renewed annually unless reasons are provided against renewal (e.g., criminal act, welfare dependence, job market). The right to an extension of an annual permit exists only in certain cases. G Permit: Commuter Permit EU/EFTA citizens and third-country nationals Commuters are foreign nationals who reside in a border zone outside Switzerland and are employed in a neighboring Swiss border zone. Border zones are defined in agreements between Switzerland and neighbouring countries. Commuters must return at least once a week to their main residence abroad.