French Immigration Law 2024: New residency card rules for (some) workers

The application process for residency cards has been simplified for some non-EU workers who live in France and whose jobs are in a sector that is experiencing a labour shortage. 

The residency cards will have a one-year duration and will be renewable.

The change relates to people who are working in relevant sectors but who do not currently have the relevant long-stay visa and/or residency card and work permit for the job, ie. their employment is not on a correct legal footing.

Working without the correct authorisation can lead to serious consequences, including an order to leave France for the person concerned, and heavy fines for employers. 

However, procedures exist for a person's situation to be considered, bearing in mind issues including their work record, family responsibilities, 'integration' into French life etc. 

The new rules allow for special consideration to be given for those in sectors deemed under pressure for recruitment, including  construction, catering, healthcare and personal/home servies (services à la personne).

One key change is that workers who fulfil the criteria can now make the application on their own and it is no longer necessary for them to be supported by their employer (who must usually complete a form to apply for the work permit element, which the applicant should include).

If accepted, the applicant will obtain a one-year carte de séjour under the heading of travailleur temporaire or salarié (depending on whether their work contract is of a temporary - CDD - nature or permanent - CDI).

Applications will have to be made to the local prefecure and a number of these, including Essonne (Île-de-France) have posted information about the change, which has now come into force, and is set to last until December 31, 2026. 

It is expected that many will be setting up dedicated spaces online for workers in these sectors to apply for these residency permits (as opposed to having to drop applications in by hand). We note though that the Essonne link for this is not yet working.

The changes were brought in as part of the 2024 Immigration Law – but not officially outlined in a decree until this month.

A full list of the relevant work sectors can be found here. The government will update the list once a year to reflect changes to the French labour market.

Read more: What is the difference between a French carte de séjour and a titre de séjour?

Who can apply? 

This residency card applies to a worker who is from a non-EU/EEA/Swiss country and does not currently have the correct work permit/residency card for their job.

In addition, however, they must:

• have been in paid employment on the list of short-staffed occupations for at least 12 months, whether consecutive or not, over the previous 24 months

• be employed in a job on the list of short-staffed occupations at the time of application

• have been resident in France for an uninterrupted period of at least three years

There is currently no information on the processing time of the application. 

Read more: Urgent foreign families in France apply for travel document