Students who meet the requisite conditions have the right to reside in Switzerland for the duration of their course (see, however, the section on converting a permit).
Nonetheless, a residence permit will only be issued for a maximum of one year. After this, it has to be renewed.
Students should be proactive and renew their residence permit by contacting the cantonal migration authority before the permit expires. One needs to pay close attention to deadlines for renewal.
The OCPM has made Form E available.
This form must be submitted to the OCPM no later than 15 days before the expiry of the permit as indicated on the Office’s website.
Legal basis: Art 59 para. 1 ASEO (which actually mentions 14 days before the expiry date!)
At the time of renewal, the migration authorities check that the admission requirements are still being met.