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Switzerland and US sign new deal on exchange of trainees and young professionals

Switzerland signs stagiaire agreement with the USA
The accord will make it easier for young Swiss people to receive training in the US for short periods, and vice-versa. Keystone-SDA

Switzerland and the United States have signed a new agreement on the exchange of trainees and young professionals. The accord will make it easier for young Swiss people to receive training in the US for short periods, and vice-versa.

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The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) announced on Friday that the trainees and young professionals would be able to expand their skills in their field of study or profession and deepen their specialist knowledge. The agreement comes into force at the end of November and applies to Swiss nationals between the ages of 18 and 35. It replaces an agreement from 1980.

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According to the SEM, participants must either be in training or have a professional or university degree. People who do not meet these requirements are also eligible for an exchange, provided they can prove that they have a certain amount of professional experience.

Participants from both countries receive a temporary residence and work permit for a period of twelve months, which can be extended by six months.

Switzerland has also concluded such stagiaire agreements with other countries, including Argentina, Japan, South Africa and Indonesia. Since the first stagiaire agreement was signed in 1936, around 40,000 Swiss nationals have completed a work placement abroad, the SEM wrote. A good 58,000 foreign trainees have got to know the Swiss working world.

Translated from German by DeepL/sb

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