France Seasonal Work Visa for Non-EU Citizens

The France seasonal work visa is available to non-EU citizens who want to undertake seasonal activities like tourism or agriculture in France. You need to apply for a long-term visa to take up seasonal work. That is a visa that mentions seasonal worker (or travailleur saisonnier). This visa is given for up to 90 days. To start the visa application process, you must know the eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, fees, and other details. Therefore, this blog covers everything you need about the France seasonal work visa.

France Seasonal Work Visa: An Overview 

France issues two types of visas: a short stay visa and a long stay visa. The short-stay visa permits you to stay in the country for up to 90 days in 180 days. On the other hand, a long-stay visa permits you to stay in the country for more than 90 days/3 months.  The seasonal work visa is a type of long-stay visa issued by France. When you have a France long-stay visa you can work for up to 6 months in any 12 months. A French long-stay visa permits you to work under different employers. However, each employer will have to apply for a work permit on your behalf.

After receiving your seasonal worker long-term visa, you can travel to France. Thereafter, you are required to apply for a multi-year seasonal work residence permit. The employer will have to apply for a new seasonal work permit for every seasonal contract.  During the validity period of a multi-year residence permit, you can enter France and engage in new seasonal work. You do not require a new visa for it. However, the work permit obtained by the employer must be demonstrated at the border.

France Seasonal Work Visa Eligible Occupations 

The France seasonal work visa is only issued for certain occupations linked to seasonal rhythm. These are listed below:

• Agricultural work (farmers involved in harvesting fruits, grapes, and vegetables, etc)
• Tourism & hospitality work (working in restaurants, hotels, resorts, etc during the tourist season)
• Viticulture  (vineyard activities, mainly during the grape harvest season)
• Ski Resort work (this includes working as a ski instructor, hospitality role, etc)

How Do I Get a Seasonal Work Visa in France?

The seasonal worker visa is only available for seasonal work in France. To obtain a seasonal work visa follow the steps below. 

• First, decide the type of seasonal work you are interested in undertaking in France
• Next, apply for a job in France, and obtain a work permit. The employer will apply for a work permit from the French administration. You can work for different employers on a seasonal work visa.
• After obtaining the work permit, you can apply for a France long-term visa for a seasonal worker 
• Travel to France, and within 2 months, apply for a multi-year seasonal residence permit 
• The permit you will obtain is valid for 3 years.
• You can stay in France for up to 6 months in 12 months. 

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France Seasonal Work Visa Requirements 

To apply for a France seasonal work visa documentation requirements have to be met. The documents you submit will verify your identity and your eligibility.

• You must be at least 18 years of age and must have a valid passport 
• You must have received a job offer from a seasonal work employer in France. You must also have a work permit.
• Present documentation to prove that you meet the qualifications for the seasonal work 
• You must have sufficient funds for the duration of your stay. The seasonal work you are undertaking must pay you the minimum wage given to a full-time employee.
• Provide proof of accommodation in France. For example, a hotel booking 
• Additionally, you must have health insurance that is applicable in all EU nations. The minimum amount you need is EUR 30,000.
• You also need to prove that you do not have any criminal record 
• Present any additional documentation requested during the visa application process

View this Pdf to know the documentation requirements for a long-term visa 

How to Apply for a France Seasonal Work Visa?

The France seasonal work visa application can be made online. You can visit the official website (France-Visas) to start the application process. Thereafter, you can follow the steps below:

• Click on start the visa application, and go to the login page
• Create a new account or log in to your existing account, and answer the relevant questions. Your visa application form will be filled out on your behalf 
• A list of documents will be displayed on the screen. Ensure that you have the same.
• At this stage, you need to book a visa appointment and pay the visa application fee 
• On the day of the visa appointment, submit your biometric information. You also need to submit a visa application form and the documents to the visa application centre.
• Finally, your visa application will be processed. You can track the same online (at the VFS Global website).
• When your decision on your application is arrived at, you can collect your passport and other documents from the visa application centre.

To learn more about France seasonal work visa, watch the video below:

France Seasonal Work Visa Processing Time 

The processing time for a seasonal work visa is provided below. The visa application processing can exceed the normal period in case of workload, additional verification or documentation requirements. 

Particulars	Processing Time
Work authorisation approval	10-20 days
Normal processing time for seasonal work visa	15-20 days

France Seasonal Work Visa Fees 

The fees for the seasonal work visa for Indian nationals are provided below:

Particulars	Fees
France’s long-term seasonal work visa fee	EUR 99 (approx) (INR 9,209)
Temporary residence permit	EUR 19

Can You Extend the France Seasonal Work Visa?

Yes. You can apply for a visa extension for seasonal work in France. The long-term work visa (for seasonal workers) requires to apply for a residence permit within 2 months of reaching France. This residence permit is valid for up to 3 years. However, the condition is that you can only work for 6 months in 12 months within these 3 years. If you receive a seasonal work visa for less than 6 months a visa extension can be applied. However, this application must be made at least 2 months prior to the visa expiry.

Rights of a Seasonal Work Visa Holder 

Below, we have provided some of the rights of a seasonal work visa holder:

• During the validity of your residence permit, you can go in and out of the country. You do not need to apply for a visa. However, a work permit is requested at the border 
• You do not have the right to family reunification as a seasonal worker 
• Also, you cannot apply for a EU long-term residence permit.

Things to Keep in Mind Before Applying for a France Seasonal Work Visa 

Before applying for a France seasonal work visa, you must know certain things about the visa. Knowing this thing can help in a smooth visa application process.

• Your employer must apply for a work permit and send you the same. The authorisation de travail or work permit is the first step of the application process.
• You need to apply for a seasonal work visa and get a residence permit within 2 months of reaching France
• The seasonal work takes at least 3-4 months. Generally, employers in France do not hire for less than 3 months of seasonal work.
• If the employer wants to hire you for another year, or you want to work for another employer you need to start a new contract and apply for a work permit again. The contracts of seasonal workers are temporary.
• You need accommodation in France to apply for a work visa. The accommodation detail is requested as a part of the visa application. This can be hotel booking, accommodation provided by the employer, etc.

Top Websites to Find  Seasonal Work in France 

A France seasonal work visa can only be obtained if you have a job offer letter and a work permit. For this, you need to apply for jobs Below, we have listed some popular online platforms where you can look for seasonal work-

• Pôle Emploi
• Indeed France 
• Adecco 
• ANETT 
• Manpower France 
• Mon-Job-Étudiant
• Qapa 
• Jobaviz 

Is There a 12-month Work Visa for France?

Yes. Aside from the France Seasonal Work visa, the country issues visas for long stays. You can apply for a D visa that allows foreign nationals to stay in the country for longer than 90 days in a year. As an Indian national, you can apply for a D visa for the following purposes.

1. To conduct business in France 
2. Professional work placements (Paid internships)
3. Talent passport (to visit France as an International talent). For example, artistic and cultural professionals, highly qualified employees (EU Blue Card),  mobility researchers, qualified employees, scientists, company representatives, persons with national or international reputations, etc.

Can I Get a Working Holiday Visa in France?

Yes. You can get a Working Holiday Visa for France. The Working Holiday Visa program is also called the Programme Vacances-Travail (PVT). This program allows young people between the ages of 18 and 30 to travel to France for a year. The France Working Holiday Visa legally entitles you to work in the country. You can also travel to the Schengen Area without a visa. 

However, Indian nationals are not eligible to apply. You can only apply for this visa if you are from any of the eligible countries. For example, Hong Kong, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, etc.

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Is It Hard to Get a Work Vsa in France?

The difficulty level of obtaining a French work visa (Including the France seasonal work visa) depends on whether you are meeting the visa requirements or not.  Generally, for every work visa, you need to get an offer letter from a recongised employer, you must have been issued a work permit, and your salary must meet the minimum salary requirements. Besides this, you will have to get health insurance and have no criminal record.

Whether you will get a work visa or not also depends on the accuracy and the completeness of the application you have submitted. Your intention to travel to the country must also be solely to work. Those who meet these criteria are generally issued a work visa. Only those who have problems in the visa application can face rejection.

FAQs

We hope you now understand all about the France seasonal work visas. Want to apply for a Visa for your study abroad journey? Drop us a comment in the section below, or you can connect with a visa expert at Leverage Edu, and we will guide you on your dream journey!

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