5 THINGS ABOUT SWISS CITIZENSHIP.

Several cases have brought attention to the peculiarities of Swiss immigration law in recent years. While in most countries the federal government decides who can become a citizen, applications for naturalization in Switzerland are handled at the local level. Some communities still hold meetings in which residents vote on applicants with a show of hands. Often, the decision hinges on whether the person is judged to be Swiss enough — a question that quickly gets into dicey territory.

1 NO GELATO FOR THE PANEL!

A 50-year-old Italian man spent 30 years living in Switzerland, running his successful ice cream business and raising two sons. But he was rejected for citizenship in 2015, even though his wife and children won theirs. The reason? He didn’t know that bears and wolves shared an enclosure at the zoo. Authorities said that pointed to the man’s failure to integrate socially — but the top court overturned the decision.

2 WOULD A NOD WORK?

A Muslim couple — denied citizenship for refusing a handshake to an animal rights activist — were deemed too annoying for naturalization. Officials in Lausanne decided the couple, who declined to shake hands with members of the opposite sex in accordance with their religious beliefs, had failed to integrate into Swiss society.

3 THEY WEREN’T LULULEMON, THEN?

In one 2016 case, a family from Kosovo that met all the other requirements for naturalization were rejected on the grounds that they wore tracksuits in public and did not greet people in passing.

4 APPEALS COURT WAS MOOOOVED

In 2015, Gipf-oberfrick denied citizenship to Nancy Holten, an outspoken Dutch vegan who had claimed that cowbells were inhumane. Townspeople saw her activism as an attack on Swiss traditions, and denied her. But the government granted citizenship after appeal.

5 WE LIKE SKIING!

Applicants have been asked to name local movie theatres, sports teams and museums, and about whether they like hiking. An online practice test includes such questions as, “Which traffic engineering project was completed 1980 and considered an engineering masterpiece at the time?” and “Where is the last important port before the Rhine River Falls in Schaffhausen?”