Work Permit facilitated for Young Professionals

Visa application approved stamp.

Work Permit for Young Professionals has been facilitated in France thanks to a new scheme. In an effort to boost the employment of young talents, France encourages the Labor Agency to deliver quickly Work Permit for Young Professionals. The aim is to encourage and facilitate the hiring process of foreign young professionals from some countries and provide a one-stop-shop to streamline the filings.  USUALLY, foreigners who enter France to take up paid employment must hold a work permit.  Otherwise, they cannot be hired. The work authorization may take the form of either a visa or a residence permit, or a document separate from the residence document. 

It is up to the employer to file the relevant forms with several French Agencies. This can be a daunting task. So to simplify and expedite the process, France worked out a special agreement with 17 countries.

The young professional system, implemented within the framework of bilateral agreements between France and 17 signatory countries, aims to enable young people, already engaged in working life, to deepen their professional, linguistic and cultural knowledge thanks to the international mobility and to acquire, through work experience in a company in France, skills that will improve their career prospects when they return to their country of origin.

Which are the 17 countries concerned? This procedure concerns 17 countries:

  • Algeria
  • Argentine
  • Benign
  • Canada
  • Cap-Vert
  • Congo Brazzaville
  • United States (French American Chamber of Commerce – FACC)
  • Gabon
  • Georgia
  • Morocco
  • Maurice
  • Montenegro
  • New Zealand (agriculture only)
  • Russia
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Tunisia

What are the advantages of the scheme for a young professional?
Only nationals of the 17 countries that have signed a bilateral agreement can benefit from the “young professional” procedure.

Are there any age conditions?
In most cases, the “young professional” must be between 18 and 35 years old maximum.

Are there any qualifications or professional experience requirements?
YES. The “young professional” must justify diplomas or professional experience corresponding to the position you offer him in France.

Can young professionals benefit from this status several times?
NO. The “young professional” can only benefit from this procedure once, except for Canadians. If he wishes to return to French territory to work, he will have to apply for his arrival in France under another status.

Can a foreigner already present on French territory benefit from the “young professional” status?
NO. The “young professional” procedure can only apply if the foreigner resides outside of France.

Please note: Exceptionally, a foreigner holding a “student” residence permit may, within the framework of a request for a change of status, benefit from the “young professional” procedure if he fulfills the conditions of nationality and age without leaving French territory.

If the foreigner you wish to hire under the “young professional” procedure does not have a residence permit or work permit, he will not be able to request the benefit of an exceptional admission to stay on this basis.

Can the young professional come with his family (spouse and minor children)?
NO. This procedure does not allow the family of the “young professional” to come to France. If the young professional wishes to be accompanied by members of his family, they can apply for a “visitor” visa from the competent French consulate.

What are the advantages for the employer?

Is the job market opposable?
NO. The job market will not be opposable to the employer, that is to say, they will not have to justify that they could not find in France a person corresponding to the proposed position.

Are the hiring procedures made easier?
YES. This is a one-stop-shop for processing “young professional” files. You, therefore, have a single point of contact throughout the procedure. For Canadian nationals, the filing of the file is done at the French consulate at the same time as the visa application.

What are the conditions of the employment contract?
The “young professional” is an employee of your company. He is not a trainee. You cannot hire a “young professional” on a CDI but only on a CDD.

What can be the duration of the employment contract?

  • Minimum duration: The minimum duration of the employment contract is 3 months with the exception of Benin or the minimum authorized duration is 4 months and Algeria and Georgia or the minimum authorized duration is 6 months.
  • Maximum duration: The maximum duration of the employment contract is generally 18 months

However, the initial duration of the employment contract may not exceed 12 months. If you wish to extend the “young professional” employment contract within the limit authorized by the bilateral agreement to which it relates, see the section “How to extend the employment contract”.

What salary is expected to be paid?
The “young professional” is an employee in your company, this means that he must receive the salary practiced in the company for the position offered with equal qualification and experience. The proposed salary must correspond to the branch salary scales when they exist. The “young professional” must have the same advantages as a French employee. In any event, the proposed salary must at least be equal to the minimum wage in effect on the date of submission of the file.

How to apply?
You must prepare a file of “request for work authorization” for the coming on the French territory of the “young professional”.

Who should I send the completed work permit application for “young professionals” to?
You must send the completed application for a work permit for a “young professional” file to the competent territorial department for the place of employment in France. Except for Canadian nationals who must submit their file directly to the French consulate with the visa application.

 

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