France

Like other European Union (EU) countries, France has a two-tier immigration system. Nationals from the EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) can live and work freely in the country. Those from outside the region are subject to immigration controls. So if you are part of the latter, you’ll likely need a visa to live and work in France.

The French Office for Immigration and Integration (L’office Francais de l’immigration et de l’intégration – OFII) is the government agency in charge of immigration and visas.

French work visas can usually be split into three categories, which are:

• Short-stay work visas – valid for up to three months
• Temporary work visas – normally valid for three months to a year
• Long-stay work visas – multi-year visas, typically valid for 5–10 years and often renewable

Looking a little closer, you can divide those categories into six sub-categories:

• Salaried or temporary worker permits (carte de séjour – salarié/travailleur temporaire) – a general multi-year residence card for expats working in France
• Talent passports (passeport talent) – a temporary or multi-year residence card for high-skilled workers, entrepreneurs, artists, academic researchers, and inter-company transfers (ICT)
• ICT worker permits (carte de séjour – salarié détaché ICT stagiaire ICT) – a temporary or multi-year residence permit issued to family members of internal transfers in senior management roles or work that involves high-level expertise
• Self-employed, entrepreneurial, or ‘liberal’ job permits (carte de séjour – intrepreneur/profession libérale) – a one-year residence permit for applicants who want to create or participate in a commercial, industrial, artisanal, or agricultural activity or work in a liberal profession)
• Seasonal worker permits (carte de séjour – travailleur saisonnier) – a temporary or one-year residence permit for people working in seasonal fields, such as tourism and agriculture
• Special cases – temporary or multi-year permits for travelers on a working holiday, volunteers, and interns

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Students also don’t need a work visa because it is already included in their residence permit. They are allowed to work up to 964 hours a year (i.e., around 60% of standard working time in France) unless they are Algerian. in this case, they can only work 50% of normal French working hours.

Also, if you are already in France on another visa (e.g., a family visa), you will need to check the terms of your permit to see whether you are allowed to work. If not, you can apply for work authorization from the French authorities.