France Visas Available To Canadians

• Self-Employed Activity

Individuals intending to partake in a self-employed, liberal, or independent activity in France can apply for a long-stay visa. These activities could be commercial, industrial, agricultural, or artisanal.

The long-stay visa issued to successful applicants will bear “entrepreneur/profession libérale” (Self-employed in regulated liberal profession). This visa is valid for one year and equivalent to a (VLS-TS) residence permit. Holders must validate their visa within 15 days of arriving in France.

• Salaried Employment Activity

The salaried employment category is suitable for individuals who want to move to France to engage in paid work or labor in France. There are different categories of paid employment activities, and they include:

• Employee Posting 

This visa is applicable to individuals transferred or hired by an international group of companies to conduct work activities in their branch in France.

It also applies to those transferred or hired by a foreign company to carry out a contract in a French company or provide services for a French client.

The long-stay visa issued to the applicant will bear “traveilluer temporaire” (temporary worker). It is equivalent to a residence permit and must be validated within three months of arrival to France.

• Internal Transfer – ICT

This visa is designed for individuals in senior management roles or those involving a high level of expertise, posted to France to conduct an expert assessment or assignment.

If the assignment will not exceed 12 months, successful applicants will be issued a “stagiare ICT” (ICT trainee) long-stay visa. It is equivalent to a residence permit and must be validated within three months of arrival in France.

However, if the assignment is over 12 months long, individuals will be issued a “salarie detache ICT” (ICT posted employee) long-stay visa. This visa is valid for three years, and holders must apply for a multi-year residence permit within two months of arriving in France.

•  Employee Recruitment

This visa category allows individuals to work for a private employer, a professional company, or any other type of organization operating in France for fixed-term or permanent work.

Depending on the nature of the job, the employer might be required to first get authorisation from the French authorities before the candidate can apply for the visa. Successful applicants will be issued a long-stay visa valid for 12 months and bearing the following statements:

• “Salarie” (employee) for permanent employment contracts
• “Travailleur temporaire” (temporary worker) for fixed-term contracts.

These visas must be validated within three months of the holders’ arrival in France.

• Seasonal Worker

This is suitable for an individual who intends to work as a “travailleur saisonnier” (seasonal worker) in tourism, agriculture, or other seasonal-related jobs in France.

Employees under this scheme will only be allowed to work for six months within every 12-month period. They can have multiple employers during this time, but each employer must request a permit from the French authorities on their behalf.

Successful applicants must apply for a multi-year residence permit with the local police within two months of entering France.

• Professional Paid Internships

This route applies to employees sent by their Canadian employers to take a professional training course in a French training organization. Successful applicants will get a long-stay visa bearing “stagiaire” (trainee), which must be validated within three months of arriving in France.

The International Talent Passport

The international talent passport is a work visa category that allows employees and self-employed people to contribute to France’s economic attractiveness. This visa applies to the following individuals:

• Highly qualified employee (EU Blue Card).
• An employee working in research and development for a new innovative company.
• A public or private researcher working in France with a hosting agreement.
• A qualified or highly qualified employee transferred to a company branch in France.
• An individual who has made a direct economic investment in France.
• An entrepreneur who has created or acquired a stake in an exceptional commercial, artisanal, or industrial business.
• An individual engaging in an innovative economic project recognized by a public body
• A person of national or international reputation in science, arts, literature, academia, or sports.
• A performer in a literary or artistic field.

Successful applicants will be issued a skilled residence permit valid for four years.

Overview

France family visas are designed for individuals intending to join their family members residing in France. The nature of the family visa a Canadian can apply for will depend on the nationality of their France-resident family member, in the following ways:

• If the resident is an EU/EEA national
• If the resident is a foreign national from a non-EU/EEA country
• If the resident is a French national

Family Member of an EU/EEA National Residing in France

This category allows family members of EEA (other than France) and Swiss nationals to join their families or settle in France. To qualify through this route the applicant must be related to the resident in the following ways:

• A spouse
• A direct descendant or dependant under the age of 21
• A direct descendant or dependant older relative
• A direct descendant or dependent older relative of the spouse.

To apply for this visa, applicants must contact the French Embassy or Consulates in Canada.

Family Member of a Foreign National From a non-EU/EEA Country 

The spouse and dependent children under 18 of a foreign national residing in France can apply to settle in France through this route.

Family members of residents with refugee or stateless protection status can also apply via this category. If the refugee or stateless protected resident is over 18, the following family members can join them in France:

• Spouses or partners joined by a civil union and aged over 18. The union must have taken place before the asylum application was submitted.
• Children who were under 19 when the asylum application was submitted.
• Children under 18 of the resident or the resident’s spouse.

If the individual with a refugee or stateless protection status is an unmarried minor, their parent can apply for a family visa, accompanied by any unmarried minor dependent children.

Family Member of French National 

The following family members of French nationals are eligible to apply for the family visa.

• Spouse.
• Children of other nationalities under 21.
• Dependent children, such as those studying, looking for a job, or disabled.
• Parent or grandparent of the French national or the French national’s spouse.
• Dependent older relative of the French national or the French national’s spouse.

Spouses must prove their relationship to the French national, the latter’s nationality, their community life, and their intention to maintain that life after arriving in France.

Children of French nationals must prove the nationality of both parents, their age, the residence of the French parent and their intention to reside in France. Minors subject to joint parental custody must obtain consent from the other parent before applying to join their French parent.

Relatives of the French national must show evidence of the following:

• Their relationship with the French national or their spouse.
• Sufficient financial resources to support themselves.
• Proof of accommodation.
• Medical insurance that covers their duration of stay.

If the applicant does not have sufficient means to sustain their stay, they must prove they are financially dependent on and will be supported by the French national. Their medical insurance must cover their first three months of stay.

Parents of minors who are French nationals who intend to apply for a family visa to join their child must prove that they have contributed to the child’s upbringing since they were born or for the last two years.

General Requirements

The general requirements to apply for a long-stay visa include the following:

• A travel document, issued less than 10 years ago, containing at least two blank pages, with a validity period of at least 3 months longer than the expiry date of the visa. Scan all pages containing visas, entry and exit stamps, or any other inscription.
• If you have an official travel document, a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or another Ministry or from a diplomatic or consular mission or international organization.
• ID photograph.
• Proof of your legal residency in Canada if you are not a Canadian citizen, with the following:
  • residence permit.
  • study or work permit with a valid visa.
  • visitor’s visa with a proof of 3 months residence.
• A letter detailing the purpose of travel/stay.
• Proof of family links with civil status documents such as birth and marriage certificates.
• Travel health insurance.
• Proof of funds with documents such as bank statements, where applicable.
• Proof of accommodation.

Additional Requirements for Business Visas

Applicants engaging in a self-employed activity in France must submit some of the following documents depending on their situation:

• A written presentation of their project, business plan, and a multi-annual estimated budget.
• A copy of the sales agreement or contract of a business buyout.
• A copy of the commercial lease agreement stating the business activity and where possible, authorization from the owner of the premises.
• An extract from the company’s registration on the company’s register dated within three months or an extract from the trade directory dated within three months.
• A tax status certificate for the company (P237).

.Applicants coming to France for salaried employment must submit the following:

• The employment contract, if the applicant has employee status.
• Copies of diplomas and proof of qualifications.
• Work permit obtained by the employer from the French government.
• Proof of nomination or where possible, a letter of intent from the competent body for the nomination.

Additional Requirements for Students

To begin the study visa application process, applicants must create an electronic file and apply for placement at a higher institution through the Études en France (EEF) platform.

Once the electronic form has been validated, the applicant can begin the visa application process on the France visa website. Applicants must submit the certificate of enrollment at a French educational institution when applying for the visa.