Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour - APS - Job Search Visa
This is a hot topic for almost all the students who are in France or planning to come to France.
Most of us take loans back home in hopes of finding a job here after studies, and to achieve that goal one needs sometime to find the right job. Finding a job is not easy, not impossible but also not a cake walk.
This article tries to explain a bit of what and why is APS important , how and when to apply, what to do and not do.
What is APS and why is it important.
APS is a special visa status given to students who pursue an RNCP certified course or in a public university course.
NOTE: Not all schools in France are eligible for APS status for their students, so one must enquire with their school about this.
APS is issued only for students who have FINISHED their course i.e. finished their jury and have “attestation de réussite” or “attestation de jury” from their school. Finishing this is very important, APS can’t be given before the course is completed (which means it is issued only after the mandatory internship).
How long?
APS is issued 1 year + 1 year (specially for Indians, thanks to Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for getting this status for us in 2015).
Details here : (page no. 8, second paragraph according to document, page 16 actual number according to adobe reader)
Why?
Once the course is completed, ideally the student visa will expire soon. So this status allows students to live in France for some more time before finding a job and converting it to salaried status.
What to do inorder to get this - Once you have completed the course (get attestation de jury or attestation de réussite from the school), apply for APS at your prefecture as soon as possible with the following documents.
- passeport valide (original et photocopie), (Valid passport)
- indications relatives à votre état civil, (Current status of visa, your bank statements) (not sure about this)
- un justificatif de domicile datant de moins de 3 mois, (proof of address less than 3 months old)
- photos d'identité récentes (entre 3 et 8 selon les préfectures), (Photographs of French standard between 3 to 8 depending on the prefecture )
- carte de séjour étudiant en cours de validité, (a valid student visa or carte de séjour, mark the VALID word with bold)
- diplôme (vous pouvez le présenter plus tard, mais dans ce cas vous devez présenter une attestation de réussite du jury). (Diploma copy or attestation de réussite du jury)
How much does it cost?
It is free - Merci beaucoup gouvernement française :)
How long does it take and how to apply?
It depends on the prefecture. there is two possibilities depending on different prefectures.
- You go there directly with all documents and get it on spot.
- You mail them all the documents (by "lettre recommandé avec avis de reception”) around a week or two before and go to prefecture with the receipt of "lettre recommandé avec avis de reception" (la poste will know what this means) and collect your APS visa which looks similar to a récépissé.
Important points not to forget.
- Do not wait until the end moment of your student visa expiry. Try to apply for APS visa right away once the course is finished.
- APS can only be applied in France and not in India.
- APS can’t be applied once the student visa is expired!
LINKS :
https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F17319
