New data has revealed that Zurich has the second-highest naturalisation rate in Switzerland after Geneva, but disparities in numbers exist between richer and less well off communities.
Geneva and Zurich grant proportionally more Swiss citizenships to their residents than any other canton – 2.84 and 2.16 per 100 eligible individuals, respectively.
Those rates are quite a bit higher than at other cantons with large foreign populations: Vaud (1.95), Zug (1.88), Bern (1.79), and Basel-City (1.74).
READ ALSO: Which Swiss cantons and communities naturalise the most foreigners?
This doesn’t, however, mean that the rate of naturalisations is spread evenly among all municipalities within a canton. In fact, as is the case in Zurich, significant disparities exist based on wealth.
The richer the better
New data reveals that affluent municipalities surrounding Lake Zurich register more applications, despite a low proportion of eligible foreign residents.
Conversely, according to Swiss media reports, in communities with a significant proportion of C-pemit holders who meet the requirements for naturalisation – such as the length of residency, language proficiency, and integration – only a small percentage seek Swiss citizenship (read more about this below).
Advertisement
Where in Zurich are the applications most numerous?
Not surprisingly, they come from the so-called ‘Gold Coast,’ a wealthy area located on the lower eastern shore of Lake Zurich.
READ ALSO: Why wealthy foreign residents are flocking to this Zurich neighbourhood
According to an analysis of official figures carried out by Swiss media, the majority of naturalisation applications come from the Gold Coast’s most prosperous communities.
For instance, Rüschlikon, Zurich’s wealthiest municipality, leads with 12.6 applications per 1,000 inhabitants.
Kilchberg, another affluent community, follows with 9.1 applications per 1,000 inhabitants.
Interestingly, many of those who apply don’t qualify for Swiss citizenship.
And those who meet all the criteria – but live outside of the rich Gold Coast – do not seek citizenship.
For instance, in the town of Schlieren, 22.7 percent of residents could become naturalised – the highest percentage in the canton – but only 6 applications per 1,000 inhabitants have been submitted.
The situation is similar in Dietikon: 22.1 percent of the town’s foreign population are eligible, but only 6.3 per 1,000 inhabitants apply.
Coincidentally or not, the social and income structure of both these municipalities is very different from that of more wealthy Zurich communities – that is, that are quite a bit less prosperous.
Advertisement
How can this phenomenon be explained?
“On the Gold Coast, we have highly educated and affluent applicants, so the requirements [for Swiss citizenship] are easily met,” a municipal naturalisations official told Blick newspaper.
“Often, all the supporting documents are already attached to the application, and an interview can be scheduled quickly after the documents have been reviewed.”
The existence of a link between financial situation and the number of applications has not been analysed in depth, though.
