Finishing your studies in France doesn’t mean your right to stay ends with your diploma. But the path from student status to employee status depends entirely on your degree level and your future salary — and the filing window is shorter than most graduates realize.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The 12-month job-search card (APS) requires at least a Master’s-level diploma (bac+5). A standard bachelor’s degree does not qualify for it.
- The Passeport Talent “salarié qualifié” needs a Master’s and a job paying at least €39,582 gross per year — around €3,300/month. It comes with a 4-year card and no labor-market test for your employer.
- Without a Master’s or a high enough salary, you still have options, but they go through the standard work-authorization process, which can require your employer to justify the hire.
- You must file before your current student card expires. Filing after it has already expired generally leads to automatic rejection, whatever the strength of your file.
1Your diploma level decides which door opens
France offers a genuine bridge between studying and working, but it isn’t automatic, and it isn’t the same for everyone. The option available to you depends mainly on what you graduated with. A Master’s, an engineering diploma, a doctorate, or a professional bachelor’s degree obtained in France opens the job-search card described below. A standard bachelor’s (licence) or a BUT does not — those graduates generally need to move straight to a work-authorization-based status if they find an employer willing to hire them.
2Option 1 — The job-search / business-creation card
Officially called the “carte de séjour recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise,” and still widely known by its old name, APS, this card gives Master’s-level graduates a full year to find a qualifying job or launch a business, without needing an employer or a project lined up yet.
| Detail | What applies |
|---|---|
| Required diploma | Master’s, engineering diploma, doctorate, or professional bachelor’s obtained in France |
| Cost and duration | €150 total, valid 12 months, and not renewable — this is a one-time window |
| Work while holding it | Full-time allowed, without the 60% limit that applies to student cards, if the job relates to your studies and pays above roughly €2,800 gross per month. A lower-paid or unrelated job still falls under ordinary work-authorization rules. |
| If the 12 months run out | The card cannot be renewed. Your remaining paths are a Passeport Talent if your salary qualifies, an entrepreneur status if you launch a business, or returning to your country of origin. |
3Option 2 — Passeport Talent “salarié qualifié”
If you already have a job offer that pays well, this is usually the stronger route, and it can be requested directly, without going through the job-search card first.
The salary threshold is set each year. For 2026, it’s €39,582 gross per year, roughly €3,300 per month. Below that, this specific card isn’t available, whatever your diploma.
You need a Master’s, or five years of equivalent professional experience, and a contract — CDI or CDD — of at least one year with an employer established in France.
In exchange, the advantages are real: a 4-year card instead of the usual one year, no separate work-permit application, and no requirement for your employer to prove no French or EU candidate was available for the role. Your spouse and minor children also receive dependent cards automatically.
If your diploma is foreign, you must include an ENIC-NARIC comparability certificate with your application. Filing without it is one of the most common reasons these files stall — the prefecture can reject the application outright or ask for the missing document, which typically adds two to three months of delay.
4If you qualify for neither
A bachelor’s degree, a job below the Passeport Talent threshold, or a role unrelated to your field of study doesn’t close the door, but it does change the process. You’ll typically go through the standard “salarié” work-authorization route, filed by your employer, which can be subject to the “opposabilité de l’emploi” — a check on whether a French or EU candidate could have filled the role first, depending on the occupation and region. This path is harder to predict, so lining up an employer willing to see the process through matters more here than anywhere else.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The right path depends on a combination most graduates only discover too late: diploma level, salary, and timing, all checked at once by the prefecture. Mapping these out before your student card expires, rather than after, is what keeps your transition from studying to working in France on track.
TSA FIIC helps graduating students identify the right status early, assemble the file correctly the first time, and keep every deadline on track. Contact us before your student card expires.
Contact us — +33 9 70 70 04 64 — for a personalized consultation.
Legal basis: CESEDA, provisions governing the “carte de séjour recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise” and the “Passeport Talent — salarié qualifié.” Salary thresholds are set annually and reflect 2026 figures; always confirm the current amount before filing, as it is indexed and can change. This article is for general information only and does not replace individual legal advice.