Residency rights linked to working in France

The following conditions must be met:

• you have a full-time employment contract
• with an employer in France
• in a profession and geographical area where there are recruitment difficulties, i.e. lack of an available workforce.

Your employer must apply for an online work permit on this website. The steps to take and the documents to provide are detailed there.

For your part, before the expiry of your residence permit or “titre de séjour” or when your situation has changed, you must make an appointment with the local French administrative authority known as the “préfecture” to apply for a “titre de séjour” adapted to your new situation. This is known as a change of status or “changement de statut”. The “préfecture” will give you a list of documents to provide with your application when you make the appointment.

Applicable law: Articles L.421–1 to L.421–4 of the “CESEDA”.

In this case, a residence permit or “titre de séjour” will not be issued automatically. It depends on the decision of the préfecture. This is referred to as an exceptional residence permit or “admission exceptionnelle au séjour”.

It is strongly recommended that you contact an organisation offering free services known as an “association” specialising in the rights of foreign nationals to help you with your application.

Conditions

The following conditions must be met:

• You must have an employment contract with one or more employers in France. This contract must be:
  • a permanent contract known as a “Contrat à Durée Indéterminée (CDI)” or a temporary contract known as a “Contrat à Durée Déterminée (CDD)” lasting at least six months
  • full-time or part-time, but with a monthly salary that is at least equal to the legal monthly minimum wage, known as “SMIC”.
• You must also be able to prove that you have worked, at least part-time, for:
  • 8 months, consecutively or not, over the last two years
  • or 30 months, consecutively or not, over the last five years.
• You must also be able to prove that you have lived in France for:
  • five years
  • or only three years if you can also prove that you have worked in France for at least 24 months, of which 8 months were in the last 12 months, consecutively or not.

Applicable law: Articles L.435–1 of the “CESEDA” and circular known as “Valls” dated 28/11/2012.

Evidence to supply

Documents that can prove you have worked in France are:

• your employment contracts
• your payslips.

Documents that prove that you have lived in France must cover the entire period concerned, with approximately one piece of evidence per month. They can be:

• Unquestionable evidence: documents submitted by a French public administration.
• Concrete evidence: documents provided by a private institution. For example: payslips, bank statements, doctors’ certificates.
• Evidence rarely considered: personal documents. For example: an envelope with an address in the name of the applicant or a certificate from a close relative, etc.

Note: only the date on which the document was drawn up will be taken into account to prove your presence in France. For example, a tax notice only proves your presence at the time it was issued, not for the period it covers

If you are on a permanent employment contract or “CDI”, you will receive a temporary residence card or “carte de séjour temporaire” stating “salarié” or employee and specifying the position for which you are authorised to work in. It is valid for one year. It allows you to work.

If you are on a fixed-term employment contract or “CDD”, you will receive a temporary residence card or “carte de séjour temporaire” stating “salarié temporaire” or temporary employee for the same duration as the employment contract, for one year maximum, specifying the position for which you are authorised to work in. It allows you to work.

This residence card or “carte de séjour” can be renewed if you continue to meet the conditions.

• If you want to change jobs or employers, you need to request a new work permit.
• If you have lost your job against your will, in the event of dismissal or non-renewal of your contract for example, your “carte de séjour” or residence permit card can be renewed once. This renewal will be assessed in relation to the unemployment benefit entitlements you have acquired.

If you have a “CDI” or permanent employment contract when it is renewed, you can request a multi-year residence card or “carte de séjour pluriannuelle” valid for four years. You must also have signed an immigrant integration contract with the French state known as the “Contrat d’Intégration Républicaine (CIR)” and comply with its commitments.

If you have lived in France for at least five years, or three years in certain cases, you can request a “carte de résident” if you meet certain conditions. Learn more