The employee visa is the most delivered French work visa. It still has its challenges.
Compared with the previous Talent-Passport visas, you will need to get an authorisation to work from the Labour Ministry. This means that your employer needs to sponsor your visa, prove that a French or EU citizen cannot perform the job (unless it is a job with many vacancies) and pay a tax.
The two main advantages are:
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You get a four-year residence permit passed the initial one-year permit (or long-stay visa).
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Your spouse and children can request a visa to come together with you to France, (only if requested at the same time as you. Otherwise the reunion family visa will apply after a minimum of 18 months in France!).
The main criteria to apply for this employment visa are:
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Having a permanent work contract (Contrat à Durée Indéterminée: CDI).
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Your employer needs to request work authorisation from the DIRECCTE (the local division of the French Ministry of Labour) before you arrive in France (or a change of status request if you are already in France).
Specific to Masters French diploma graduates:
If you have found a job within two months before the expiry of your student visa that is linked to your studies and are paid a minimum of 1.5 times the French minimum salary (€ 2 518.42 monthly gross salary before bonus since August 1st, 2022), the employer will not need to prove that they couldn’t recruit a French or EU citizen.