Key routes
- Salaried employment — foreign workers hired by a French employer normally need the appropriate work authorisation and long-stay status.
- Talent residence route — multi-year residence categories for qualifying international talent, researchers, innovators and other eligible profiles.
- EU Blue Card / highly qualified employee — for qualifying highly skilled employment meeting education/experience, contract and salary rules.
- Entrepreneur / professional activity — separate long-stay route for qualifying self-employed or liberal professional activity.
Is a job offer required?
A French employment contract is central to salaried and highly qualified employee routes. Entrepreneur/self-employed routes use different business and viability requirements.
PR / settlement potential
Eligible non-EU residents can potentially qualify for France’s long-term resident-EU card after at least five years of legal and uninterrupted residence, subject to the applicable conditions.
Profile assessment matters: Occupation, age, qualifications, language, experience, salary, licensing, sponsorship, points and family circumstances can change which route is realistic.
Government references used by STCWork in France ↗International talents ↗Long-term resident-EU card ↗