France - Highly-qualified worker - European Commission

Where and how to apply for an EU Blue Card

	You must apply for a “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card” at the French consulate in your country of origin, at the same time as you apply for a long term visa. You are exempt from requiring a long stay visa and can directly apply for an EU Blue Card at the Prefecture where you live if you: reside legally in France with another residence permit, or have an EU Blue Card issued by another EU Member state where you have lived for at least 18 months. In this case, you must apply for a new EU Blue Card at the prefecture in your place of residence within one month of your arrival in France.
Documents required	In order to obtain “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card” you must show: A contract of employment valid for at least a year showing a salary of at least 1.5 times the average gross annual salary as defined by ministerial decree i.e. 53,836.50 EUR gross per year; Documents certifying your qualifications: diploma certifying at least three years of higher education study issued by a higher education institution recognised by the country in which the institution is located; documents certifying at least five years of comparable professional experience. You are not subject to the labour market test. The prefect will inform you of the decision in writing as soon as possible and no later than 90 days from the date of the application being made. If there is no decision, the application is approved.
Duration of Validity of the “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card”	The “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card” is valid for a period of between one and four years. If the duration of the employment contract is limited, the validity of the residence permit will be equal to the duration of the employment contract. If your contract is for an indefinite period, a four-year residence permit will be issued. You will be able to renew it while your employment contract remains valid. The multiyear residence permit will be renewed as long as you continue to meet the conditions for the “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card”. You will need to apply to the prefecture of your place of residence to renew your residence permit two months before it expires.
Refusal of the “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card”and appeals	You can appeal a refusal of a French entry visa to the Commission for Appeals Against Visa Application Refusals within two months of the date of notification of the decision. If the Commission rejects the appeal, or if, despite the positive opinion of the Commission, ministers confirm the visa refusal, you may, within two months, submit a request for annulment before the Administrative Court of Nantes, which is responsible in the first instance for litigation on visa refusal. An administrative appeal may also be submitted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. More on appeals of visa decisions. Refusal of residence permits may be appealed before the prefect, a hierarchical appeal may be made to the Minister in charge of immigration or an administrative appeal may be made to the Administrative Tribunal of competent jurisdiction, within two months of notification of the decision. More on administrative and hierarchical appeals.
Where and how to apply for residence permits for intra corporate transfer	Residence permits for intra corporate transferees The conditions required depend on whether you are employed by a French company or if you are temporarily seconded to a French entity. If you are employed by a French company belonging to the same group and intend to obtain the “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “employee on assignment” (“salarié en mission”), you should: present an employment contract of more than 3 months with the French company belonging to the same group of your employer; prove that your mission to France is linked to an intra company transfer; earn a gross salary equivalent to or higher than 1.8 times the minimum French wage (SMIC). You are not subject to the labour market test. If you are temporarily seconded to a French entity belonging to the same group of your employer, and intend to obtain the multiyear residence permit “seconded employee ICT”, you should: Prove a seniority within the group of at least 3 months; Prove that your mission to France is linked to an intra company transfer; Prove sufficient resources and a salary adapted to the type of position, to the length of the mission and to the place of the mission Prove that you exercise a senior management or expert position and that you can return to the employing company at the end of the mission in France. The labour market situation cannot be invoked as grounds for refusing an employee on assignment permit. Visa and residence permit You must apply for a long-stay visa at the French Embassy or Consulate in your country of origin.
Duration of validity of permits	The “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “salarié en mission” is valid up to four years and is renewable if your assignment in France continues. The multiyear residence permit “seconded employee ICT” is valid for three years and cannot be renewed.
Further requirements	For stays of less than 12 months, you are issued with a long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour - VLS-TS) which you need to register with the OFII within three months after your arrival. For stays of one year or more, you are issued a long term visa and within the two months of your arrival in France, you must go to the prefecture of your place of residence to apply for a residence permit. Non-compliance with this requirement may lead to withdrawal of your permit.
Appeals	Refusals are subject to an internal appeal before the prefect, a hierarchical appeal before the Minister in charge of immigration or an administrative appeal before the competent administrative court within two months of notification of the decision. More on administrative and hierarchical appeals As an exception from the general rules, consular authorities need not justify their decisions except in certain cases. You may appeal a decision to refuse a visa before the Commission for Appeals Against French Entry Visa Refusals (Commission de recours contre les refus de visa d'entrée en France) within two months from the date of notification of the decision. If the Commission rejects the appeal or if, despite a positive decision, the ministers confirm the refusal, you may appeal, within two months, to the Administrative Tribunal of Nantes, which is the first instance for visa refusal litigation. A hierarchical appeal may also be brought before the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Further information	More on appeals against visa refusals More on visa application to France More on settling in France More on coming to France More on working in France More on non-EU workers More information on work permit

Residence Rights and Compensation for Unemployment

	If you find yourself involuntarily unemployed, your “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card” will continue to be valid until its expiry date. It can then be extended until the end of your rights to unemployment compensation.
Change of Status	Provided you meet the necessary conditions, you can change status and apply for a residence permit, including for other reasons than employment, at the prefecture of your place of residence.
Long-term residence	As the holder of a “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card”, you can get an EU long-term residence permit after five years of uninterrupted stay in the EU, provided you have resided continuously in France for the last two years. During the required five years of continuous residence, a maximum absence of 12 consecutive months and 18 months in total is allowed. You must submit your request to the prefecture of your place of residence no later than two months before the expiry of your “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card”. More on the EU long term residence permit
Residence permit for family members	If they are over 18 years old, your spouse and children who entered France as minors, fully benefit of the "family passport talent" residence permit, having the same duration of validity as your “passport talent” residence permit and giving direct access to work. If you hold an EU Blue Card issued by another EU country, your spouse and your children must apply for their temporary residence permit within one month of their arrival in France. The "family passport talent" residence permit issued to family members is renewed automatically whilst the holder's “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “EU Blue Card” is valid. The same applies for children who have reached the age of majority, once they can prove five years of continuous residence. They then have the full right to work.
“Long-term EU resident” residence permit for family members	Your spouse and children can also apply for an EU long-term residence permit if they can prove five years of uninterrupted residence in France under a "family passport talent" residence permit. Highly-skilled workers - Employees on assignment and seconded employee ICT You can get a "family passport talent " residence permit or a “seconded employee ICT family” residence permit for the members of your family, allowing them to come to France. The permit is renewable for the entire time your own residence permit is valid. The "family passport talent" residence permit grants the right to work.