Prämienverbilligung and Naturalization

[u/Gracchio_Alpino]

Is requesting Prämienverbilligung potentially a problem for future naturalization?

I'm an EU citizen living in Switzerland with a C permit. My understanding is that Prämienverbilligung is not social aid, but that, depending on the commune, having received it might be interpreted as weak economic independence. Do you have any experience about it?

[u/Expat_zurich]

How would they even know this? And yes, it’s not considered social aid

[u/Isi-Peasy-Lemon → u/Expat_zurich]

I actually received this mail from Stadt Zürich. I don’t know what would’ve happened if I had requested it, but it’s apparently something that they do look at. 

Wir haben Ihr Einbürgerungsgesuch vom Kanton Zürich erhalten. Zur weiteren Bearbeitung wollen wir Sie anfragen, ob Sie für die Jahr 2025 + 2026 Prämienverbilligung für die obligatorische Krankenversicherung beantragt haben.

[u/Lost-Buenzli → u/Isi-Peasy-Lemon]

Wir haben Ihr Einbürgerungsgesuch vom Kanton Zürich erhalten. Zur weiteren Bearbeitung wollen wir Sie anfragen, ob Sie für die Jahr 2025 + 2026 Prämienverbilligung für die obligatorische Krankenversicherung beantragt haben.

As mentioned in another comment, they have no legal basis to reject you on this. If you have, you can respond that only Sozialhilfe precludes Einbürgerung, gemäss Art. 7, Abs. 3 BüV, and that per BGer 2C_448/2007 E. 3.4 und 3.5, Prämienverbilligungen are not considered Sozialhilfe.

But then again, you are in Stadt Zürich, so you're on super-easy mode. 👍

[u/ZookeepergameCrazy14]

No. It is not considerred social aid.

[u/Toeffli]

No. It is a right and it is not social aid. But to get Prämienverbilligung you must have a low taxable income. That's more the problem.

There are various reasons why you might have a low taxable income. Not necessarily because your pre tax income was low. Could example be you paid a lot in pillar 2,had expensive education, have high medical costs, had high renovation/maintenance costs for your house etc.

[u/Lost-Buenzli]

Prämienverbilligungen are not social aid based on the legal jurisprudence. See ATF 2C_448/2007 consid. 3.4 et 3.5:

c) sprechen [...] explizit von "Sozialhilfe" ("aide sociale", "aiuto sociale"), worunter Ergänzungsleistungen und Prämienverbilligungen eben gerade nicht fallen, auch wenn sie einkommens- und bedarfsabhängig ausgestaltet sind [...]

It is also clearly stated in the directives LEI (but, unfortunately, not in the directives LN):

6.13.1 Selon la jurisprudence, les prestations complémentaires 227 et les réductions de primes de caisses-maladie ne sont pas, en vertu du droit des étrangers, incluses dans la notion d’aide sociale.

You'll be fine.

Just to clarify, communes cannot decide how to interpret the law. Although we have cases where communes take arbitrary decisions (see Trimmis GR, Clos de Doubs JU, Buchs AG, Gipf-Oberfrick AG, or Einsiedeln SZ), they are legally required to apply the law as-is. The Confederation and Cantons set the legal requirements.

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Original post by u/Gracchio_Alpino:

Is requesting Prämienverbilligung potentially a problem for future naturalization?

I'm an EU citizen living in Switzerland with a C permit. My understanding is that Prämienverbilligung is not social aid, but that, depending on the commune, having received it might be interpreted as weak economic independence. Do you have any experience about it?

[u/cro1316]

Idk man, don’t want to be that guy but if you need help to live here as a foreigner why do you want to settle here?

[u/Alternative-Yak-6990]

yeah this is a sure sign of weak economic independence