Post Study Work Permits for Indian Students in France 2025

Studying and working in the same country as France can add precious experience to your resume and help you find a permanent place in the country. This article highlights necessary details on the post-study work permit in France, known as the "Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour" (APS) or "job search/business creation" resident permit. The APS (or Autorisation provisoire de séjour), also called the Temporary Resident Permit in France, is initially valid for 1 year and helps to bridge the gap between the student status and professional employment.  

Finding jobs after the completion of your studies in France can be difficult. To aid this, France allows its international students to look for jobs after completion of their studies, within a specific amount of time. For this reason, students need to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit, or APS (for "Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour") that allows them to remain in France for an additional 1 year after the validity of their French student visa expires. This APS Visa in France is also commonly called the "job search visa" or the "post-study work visa" among Indian students.

Students must be mindful that they must apply for a post study work visa in France before their French study visa expires. This article explains the rules and guidelines of the French Post Study Work Visa (also known as the "job search/business creation resident permit" or "La carte de séjour recherche d'emploi/ création d'entreprise").

Also Read: 

• Part Time Work Options in France
• Universities in France

What is a Post Study Work Visa in France 2025?

A student, upon completing studies in France, as per the immigration rules of the country, must leave France. However, international students, especially Indian students who do not have a work contract or promise of employment, can apply for an Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour (APS), meaning a temporary resident permit, that allows them to look for work or establish a business in France even after the completion of their degrees. This is also commonly referred to as the post-study work permit in France.

This post-study work permit is valid for 12 months and can be renewed only once (only for Indian students as per the Bilateral agreements on professional mobility). This means Indian students with a master's or bachelor's degree can remain in France for a maximum of 2 years to look for work or start their own business. 

Students, however, can apply for a residence permit in France if they have paid (or permanent) employment. This is applicable for both bachelor's and master’s programmes, and students will have to apply for a work permit (work visa).

What is important to understand is that this extended residence permit (pos study work permit) allows a student only to take up part-time employment of up to 964 hours – similar to students already studying in French Universities. This relates to about 60% of full employment. If a student with a work permit is able to find employment that is more than 1.5 times the minimum wage guarantee, she/he must then apply for a Work Permit. So when deciding on which country to study in, keep these advantages of French opportunities in mind.

Those who hold a ‘passport talent’ residence permit along with the ‘EU Blue Card’ can get an EU long-term residence permit after an uninterrupted stay for five years in the EU. Also, candidates need to have resided in France continuously for the last two years.

How to Get a Temporary Resident Permit in France?

Ther are two designated ways to get your post study work permit in France based on where you are currently in your academic journey. 

1. You are yet to take exams to obtain your academic degree/diploma, but your student visa is expiring soon: Move to the prefecture of your place of residence in France 15 days before the expiration of your French student visa and submit the originals and photocopies of the below-given documents. Note that you will receive an "administrative document" authorising you to stay in France under student status. 
   • letter from your college/university indicating the date of your exams,
   • passport,
   • residence permit,
   • proof of address less than 3 months old
2. Your student visa is expiring soon, and you have received your diploma/degree: Visit the website of the prefecture of your place of residence and download the issuance of an APS "student seeking employment or starting a business" file. Get a printout of this file and return to the prefecture with the necessary information.

Working in France After Your Studies

Non-European international students willing to live and work in France after the completion of their studies must have a work contract or promise of employment along with getting paid one and a half times the minimum wage, i.e. €1,398.69 gross (after the deduction of CSG and CRDS) per month as of October 2024. 

Without a contract of employment, students can request an APS - temporary resident permit or Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour. The APS, however, once renewable, allows Indian students to stay in France for a total of 24 months to look for work. Students having either a professional bachelor's or master's degree, or who are in the process of starting a company, can apply for the same.  

Students on an APS can work on the same conditions as with their student visas, i.e. working up to 20 hours per week. 

There are different kinds of student visas available in France, and each kind of student visa has built-in eligibility for post-study work permissions. Here’s a quick look at the same.

Simply put, international students who are planning to take up small and short-term courses in France cannot stay after the completion of their studies in France. Only students who are taking up long-term courses like bachelor's and master's and have a Visa de Long Sejour Etudes or Long Stay Study Visa for France get permission to stay in the country after completing the course.

Related Reads

• French Student Visa Guide
• Student Guide to France