Temporary Resident Permit ("APS")

What does the Temporary Resident Permit, or APS, authorise?

The Temporary Resident Permit, or APS (for "Autorisation Provisioire de Séjour"), allows foreign students to remain in France for one year after the end of their studies. During this period, they may look for a job (without restriction) or prepare for the creation of a company in a field corresponding to their training.

Until a work contract has been signed, for a fixed period of time (CDD) or indefinite (CDI), foreign graduates with an APS are authorised to work under the same conditions as if they were students, meaning to a maximum of 964 hours per year, or approximately 20 hours per week.

Overall, the Temporary Resident Permit cannot be renewed and is valid for at most 12.

However, students from a country that concluded a bilateral agreement with France (regarding professional migrations or concerted management of flows) benefit from more favourable issuance conditions. The following countries are concerned: Senegal, Gabon, Benin, Tunisia, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Lebanon, India. Check out the website of the ministry of internal affairs or contact the Campus France Office in your country of origin for more information on your situation.

Specific rules apply to graduates who come from the European Economic Area and to Algerians.

Who can request a Temporary Resident Permit?

The Temporary Resident Permit is accessible to foreign students who:

• have a professional Bachelor's degree;
• have a Master's-level degree or equivalent such as an Engineering degree, a degree from an institute of political studies (IEP), a higher accounting and management degree, a veterinary degree, etc;
• have a specialist Master's;
• have a Master's of Science (MSc) certified by the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles;
• wish to start their own company.

How to obtain a Temporary Resident Permit

You must send your request for a Temporary Resident Permit to the Prefecture. This procedure is free.

Your resident permit will expire soon and you have not finished your tests to pass your degree.

You need to check in with the local Préfecture 15 days before the expiration of your resident permit with the following documents (original and copies): letter from your institution mentioning the date of your defence, passport, residence permit, proof of address (under 3 months old). You will receive an administrative document authorizing you to stay in France with the status of student; it's called "récépissé de prolongation de droit au séjour en qualité d’étudiant", i.e. extension of right of residence as student receipt.

Your resident permit will expire soon and you have passed your degree

You can apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (APS) "étudiant en recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise", i.e. student looking for a job or creating a company. Download the file and send it in paper format to the Préfecture. Check out the website of the Préfecture at your place of residence to download the file and find the address where to send it.

What to do when your Temporary Resident Permit expires

When your APS expires, you must change your status and request a residency permit adapted to your situation.

• If you have an indefinite or fixed-time work contract validated by the DIRECCTE (Direction régionale des Entreprises, de la Concurrence, de la Consommation, du Travail et de l’Emploi - Regional Department of Competition, Consumption, Work and Employment) and are paid at least one and a half times the minimum wage (so approximately 2,220 Euros gross per month in 2017), you can request a temporary "employee" or "temporary worker" resident permit.
• If you have created a company or developed an unpaid activity and you can prove the viability, you can request a temporary "freelance entrepreneur" resident permit or a multi-year "freelance entrepreneur - talent passport" resident permit for starting a company.
• If you are engaged in research, you will be able to request a multi-year "researcher-talent passport" resident permit as a researcher.

Don't wait for your temporary resident permit to expire before you request a change of status. Do it as soon as your situation changes.