General Information about working in Metropolitan France and its Overseas Departments on permanent basis (more than 90 days). A different procedure applies to French Overseas Territories and Territorial Collectivities.

The French Consulate does not process employment offers or requests.

For the procedure to work in France on temporary basis (less than 3 months), click here.

If you wish to work in France for an extended period of time (more than 90 days), you must follow the following procedure:

You need to find a potential employer first. Your prospective employer will then apply to the DDTEFP (Direction Départementale du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle). There is one DDTEFP in each one of France's provinces ("département") including its Overseas Departments ( Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, and La Réunion).

Once the work contract is approved by the DDTEFP it is sent to the ANAEM (National Agency for the Reception of Foreigners and Migration) in Paris who in turn forwards it to the French Consulate nearest your permanent place of residence in Canada.

If you wish your spouse and children to accompany you, your prospective employer should submit simultaneously a file called "dossier de famille accompagnante" (accompanying family). With this procedure, your spouse is not allowed to work. If he/she intends to work, he/she must follow the same procedure as you.

 

If you live within the jurisdiction of this Consulate (British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon or the Northwestern Territories) we will contact you as soon as we receive your file. Make sure your full address, telephone number and e-mail address (if you have one) appear on the documentation.

You may also contact us by e-mail if you know your file is on the way. State your full name and address: visas@consulfrance-vancouver.org

 

Once this consulate receives your approved file from France, we will invite you to come to our visa section and bring the following complete file :

Documents required

 

Your original passport. Make sure you have signed it. The passport must be valid for at least one year after the intended date of arrival to France.

 

2 or 3 long stay visa application forms depending on your nationality (click here to find out),. They must be neatly and completely filled out in original writing. Use black or blue ink.

Attach a post-it to one of them stating your intended departure date from Western Canada to France. This information is very important since it will be used to date the visa. This form exists only in French.

Contact us by fax or e-mail if you wish to be sent a translation and guidelines to fill them out properly.

 

Original identity photos. Cut to the size indicated on the form and glued to each one of them.

 

For permanent residents (landed immigrants) only : 1 photocopy of both sides of your Permanent Residence Card.

 

1 recent color photo, format 35mm x 45mm, with a clear plain background. The height must be between 31.5mm and 36mm from chin to crown. The person’s head must be full front view centered in the middle of the photograph. Photos with hat, caps, sunglasses, etc. will not be accepted nor digitized photos. This photo will be scanned in the visa.

Payment for the visa processing fee. Click here to view the current amount and/or methods of payment for the visa application fee

 

If your family is accompanying you, prepare marriage registration and live birth registration (registrations are different from certificates, contact Vital Statistics Canada for details) documents (original + 1 photocopy) and provide a complete file as yours.

After we receive your file, generally, there is no more delay. This specific kind of long stay visa will allow you to enter French territory and request a work permit and a residence permit ("carte de séjour temporaire") at the Prefecture nearest your place of residence in France.

IMPORTANT ! : The procedure requires the presence of the applicant in his/her country of origin and while waiting for the approval of your file, you are not allowed to start your employment in France. It is illegal to work in France without a work permit.

The visa can only be issued in your country of permanent residence at the nearest Consulate of France.
Without this specific kind of long stay visa in your passport, you will not be able to apply for the residence nor the work permit.

Specific regulations apply to ( click on your selection ) :

• Researchers (scientists) and university professors invited by a public French institution

• "Assistants de langue" appointed by the French Ministry of Education

• "Au Pair" students and students in France

• Young people who qualify for the Working-Holidays Program

• Interns (paid or unpaid) and volunteer workers in France.

• If you intend to open up a business in France, you need to apply for a Business Permit to this Consulate

Citizens of countries forming the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Zone as well as their spouse, are allowed to work in Metropolitan France and the French Overseas Departments without first applying for a visa. The rules are different for a French Overseas Territories or territorial collectivities. Click here to access the page with specific information about European Union citizens wishing to work in France.

However, depending on his/her nationality, the spouse of a European Union citizen might need to apply for a visa before going to France. Click here to access the list of nationalities that do not require a short stay visa.

If your spouse's nationality does not appear on it, he/she needs to obtain a short stay visa before going to France. A specific procedure applies. Click here to view it.

If your spouse's nationality appears on it, it means that you can go to France without any visa. Have your passport stamped with the entry date and then, within two months after your arrival, apply for the residence permit at the "Préfecture" nearest your place of residence. Take with you the marriage documents and any other documents you consider important. Once your spouse holds the residence permit, he/she is allowed to work.