France guide · verified 2026-07-04
Working While Studying in France, and Staying After
Working & staying on
Student visa holders can work part-time while studying, and France's genuine draw for Indian students is the Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour (APS), up to 12 months to find qualifying work after a Master's or professional licence, with India explicitly named among the nationalities covered by a bilateral mobility agreement.
Work while studying
ConditionalUp to 964 hours/year (≈ 60% of full-time legal working hours)
Commonly described as roughly 20 hours/week on average across the year. Confirm the current cap on the student's residence-permit conditions, since student work-hour ceilings are periodically revised.
Post-study permit (APS)
ConditionalUp to 12 months to seek qualifying work or start a business
Available to graduates of a Licence professionnelle, a Master's-level qualification, or equivalent (engineering diplomas, Sciences Po-style institutes, accounting/management, veterinary, a Conférence des Grandes Écoles-certified Master of Science). Non-renewable. Must be applied for from the préfecture before the student residence permit/VLS-TS expires, applications filed after expiry are refused without being examined on merits.
Work rights during the APS
Same as a student, up to 964 hours/year (≈60% of full-time) until a qualifying job contract is signed
Once the APS holder signs a permanent or long fixed-term contract at or above the relevant salary/skill threshold, the work-hour restriction is lifted and they move onto a standard work-authorising residence permit.
India-specific eligibility
India is named among countries with a bilateral agreement covering APS-eligible graduates
Confirmed on Campus France's own APS page, which lists India by name alongside Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Congo, Mauritius, Gabon, Tunisia, and several Balkan states. This is a genuine advantage for Indian students versus nationals of countries without such an agreement, re-check the list periodically since it can be updated.
Work part-time within the legal cap while studying
ConditionalStudent residence permits allow part-time work up to the legal ceiling (964 hours/year, roughly 20 hours/week on average). Typical roles: teaching/research assistantships, hospitality, retail, and internships tied to the course. Exceeding the cap risks the residence permit.
Apply for the APS before the student permit expires
ConditionalAs soon as the degree (Master's or professional licence) is confirmed, apply to the local préfecture for the APS, filing must happen before the student VLS-TS/residence permit's expiry date, since a late application is refused outright rather than reviewed. The APS itself is free to apply for and grants up to 12 months, non-renewable.
When: Before the student permit/VLS-TS expires, do not wait until after graduation ceremoniesCost: Free (application fee)A late APS application (filed after the student permit has expired) is refused without being examined on its merits, track the exact expiry date, not just the graduation date.Convert to a work-authorising permit on a qualifying job offer
Once the APS holder secures a permanent or substantial fixed-term contract related to their qualification, they apply to convert to a standard employee/'salarié' residence permit, which removes the work-hour cap. There is no separate 'APS renewal', the 12 months is the full window to find that job.
Where this fits
This is one step of the full France journey: admission, tests, application, visa, money, arrival and stay-back, every figure cited to an official source.
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Bramica is independent and takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This page is information, not immigration advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm the current requirement on the official source before acting on it.