France – Policy Changes in Effect due to Decree
The decree of October 28th enforcing the law N° 2016-274 of March 7th 2016 has brought out the following changes:
For Short Term assignments (for a maximum of 3 months), a work permit will no longer be required for the following categories:
1. Employee on a local contract in France working in the following areas:
- Sports, cultural, artistic and scientific events
- Professional conferences, seminars and workshops
- Film, audio-visual, entertainment and Phonographic publishing production and distribution, if the employee is an artist or technical personnel that is directly part of the production or project
- Modelling
- Personal services and domestic workers during the assignment in France of their private employers
- Education given occasionally by visiting professors
2.. Employee on detachment (as defined the French labor law article L. 1262-1)
- Assignments for audits and experts in : IT, management, finance, insurance, architecture and engineering
There is no indication for the moment what documents and information will be required for those nationalities needing to apply for a short term Schengen visa.
1. “Talent Passport” permit (as of November 1st), a 4 year permit, for the following categories:
- Change of status for students holding a Master degree from France
- European Blue card
- ICT “salarié en mission” with a local employment contract in France
- Scientists/Researchers
- Applicants holding a Master degree who wish to open a business in France
- Foreign nationals who present a project in innovation that has been recognized by an official administration
- Foreign nationals who invest directly in France
- Artists
2. ICT Employees on Detachment status – there will be now 3 separate permit categories:
- ICT Employee on detachment – issued for an employee who is on an assignment in a senior management position or to provide expertise, to a company in France that is part of the same group as the home country employer
- ICT Trainee – issued when there is an approved training agreement within the framework of an internship with an institution or company of the same group as the home country employer
- Mobile ICT Employee on detachment or Mobile ICT Trainee – issued if the foreign national already holds a residence permit issued by another EU country under the category ICT employee or ICT trainee
The visa applications for both of the above 2 categories “Talent Passport” and “ICT Employees on Detachment” will be processed by the French Consulates.
We can expect to see delays in the processing until the visa services at the Consulates are operational and the new Cerfa forms are introduced.
All applications that have been filed prior to November 1st, will be processed in the previous manner.