Anyone wishing to work legally in Switzerland must, before entering the country, be in possession of a working permit and the corresponding permit of stay, both of which have been applied for by the employer. This is possible only for women from the EU and EFTA countries, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, but not from other countries, unless they are highly qualified professional women. Exceptions can be made in the case of the short stay permit category L, but the latter cannot be converted into a permit of stay.
A short stay permit category L for cabaret dancers allows a woman to stay in the country for a  maximum of 8  months during a calendar year. She must be at least 20 years old and be able to prove that she has a job for at least 3 successive months. In addition, in some cantons the net salary stipulated by her contract must be not less than the minimum wage decreed by the cantonal authorities for the working market in that particular canton. If she is out of work for more than one month, she must leave the country. This means that she is completely at the mercy of her employer. As a dancer in a nightclub, part of her job is the so-called “integral strip” (remove all clothes), animation of the guests and, above all, also animating them to drink champagne, although this is forbidden in the whole of Switzerland and has fatal affects on the health of the women concerned.
If a foreign woman marries a Swiss or a man of another nationality with a permit of stay or a residence permit she is granted only a permit of stay category B, which has to be renewed each year. In the case of divorce, or disappearance or death of her married partner, the woman loses her right to stay in the country.
Only after a minimum stay of 5 years can a residence permit be granted. If it is established that the marriage was arranged to circumvent Aliens Police regulations, the residence permit can be refused. This repressive rule renders the women affected markedly dependent on their husbands; they are completely subjugated to them. Families may enter the country to join their mother in the case of a residence permit and possibly even where there is only a permit of stay. In the case of the permit of stay the decision lies with the Aliens Police of the canton concerned. However, since the family joining the mother means a large administrative and financial burden, the law stipulates that this decision must also be agreed upon jointly by both husband and wife, thus making the women fully dependent on their husband.
The tourist visa is valid for a maximum of three months. During this time it is forbidden to work. To do so provides a legal reason for deportation. If, despite this, these women work illegally, they have no social rights whatsoever and risk being picked up at any time by the Aliens Police and deported.