Foreign students have to request an APS: Provisional Residence Authorization to work in France after obtaining a diploma.
A foreign student who has obtained his diploma may apply for a temporary residence permit under certain conditions. What are the steps to take? Can I apply for another residence permit at the end of an APS?
Non-European foreign students recently graduated from a French establishment who wish to work in France after their higher education can apply for an APS (Temporary residence authorization). An update on how to obtain this document.
What is a temporary residence permit for?
What are the conditions to benefit from it?
What are the steps to take to obtain an APS?
The applicant has found a job or created a business in his field of training
Special conditions for countries that have signed an agreement with France
What is a temporary residence permit for?
A provisional residence permit allows a young graduate to stay in France for 12 months after obtaining his diploma.
During this period, he can seek and hold a job related to his studies and thus acquire a first professional experience. He can also create a business, but this must necessarily be related to the field of activity in which he was trained.
The job sought or occupied must provide the young graduate with a salary at least equal to €2,281.82 gross per month. Otherwise, it must correspond to the minimum wage practiced in the branch of activity concerned or comply with the collective agreement applicable to the company.
As long as the young graduate has not found a job related to his diploma, or as long as he does not respect the rules relating to remuneration, he is authorized to work in another field of activity, but only in the limit of 964 hours per year, i.e. under the same conditions as young holders of a student residence permit.
What are the conditions to benefit from it?
To qualify for an APS, the young graduate must hold a student residence permit and be in possession of a valid passport.
It is also necessary to justify a level of study : a professional degree, a master’s degree or any other diploma of a level equivalent to this bac+5.
European students are not affected by the APS. As for Algerian students, they can request a one-year residence certificate under certain conditions.
What are the steps to take to obtain an APS?
The application for a temporary residence permit must be made before the expiry of the student residence permit.
The young graduate must then make an appointment with the prefecture on which it depends. Depending on the department, it is possible to do this by telephone or on the internet. It is advisable to anticipate the appointment, because the delays in obtaining a date vary from one territory to another and can be quite long.
On the day of the appointment, it will present a certain number of supporting documents. Among these, the valid student residence permit, passport and a copy of the pages relating to civil status and entry stamps, proof of address less than 3 months old, 3 to 8 photos of identity (depending on the prefecture), and finally, the original and the copy of the diploma (or a certificate of achievement).
Obtaining the APS is free. It is valid for 1 year and cannot be renewed.
Note that if the applicant does not receive a response from the prefecture within 4 months, this means that his application has not been accepted.
The applicant has found a job or created a business in his field of training
If the young graduate has found a job in his field of activity which respects the remuneration conditions or in the event that he has created his own business, he may apply for a residence permit. The application must imperatively be made no later than the expiry of the temporary residence permit.
Depending on the salary received, the nature of the residence permit varies.
If the applicant receives at least 1,5 SMIC per month, he or she may apply for a temporary employee or temporary worker residence permit, a multi-year talent passport residence permit – researcher, a multi-year talent passport residence permit – artistic and cultural professions.
From €38,500 gross per year, he can benefit from a multi-year talent passport residence permit – qualified employee, or a multi-year talent passport residence permit – innovative company.
Finally, if his income is greater than €53,850 gross annually, a multi-year residence permit talent passport – European blue card may be issued to him.
People who have created a business can apply for a temporary entrepreneur/liberal profession or a multi-year residence permit talent passport — business creation.
Young graduates who have not found a job in their field of training or created a business will have to leave France when their APS expires.
Special conditions for countries that have signed an agreement with France
Foreigners from countries that have concluded an agreement with France on migratory flows can benefit from different issuance conditions.
Conditions related to diplomas obtained
For young graduates from Cape Verde and Congo, the issuance of a residence permit is subject to the presentation of a diploma equivalent to a master’s degree. This must have been obtained in France.
The Lebanese must in turn be in possession of a master’s degree obtained in France or in Lebanon within the framework of an agreement for the issuance of diplomas in international partnership.
For Benin or Gabon, it is necessary to hold a professional license or a diploma equivalent to a master’s degree obtained in an establishment in France.
Finally, for people from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mauritius, Tunisia or the Balkans, the APS can only be issued to them if they have at least a bachelor’s degree or a diploma equivalent to a master’s degree. This must have been obtained in an establishment in France or in their country of origin thanks to an agreement for the issuance of diplomas in international partnership.
Conditions linked to the duration of the APS
The APS for foreigners from Benin, Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Mauritius and Tunisia is only valid for 6 months, but it is renewable once.
Applicants from Cape Verde and Congo can benefit from an APS for 9 months. On the other hand, this one is not renewable.
The temporary residence permit issued to young Gabonese graduates is also valid for 9 months. They nevertheless have the possibility of requesting its renewal once.
Finally, young people from Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia can benefit from an APS for 12 months.