Visa procedure

[hvarrier]

I have a job offer from France and I came to know from my employer in France that they got clearance from "Ministere de l'economie, de l'Industrie" for employing me in France. I would like to know, what would be next step for getting the employment visa and how many days required to get it sanctioned normally.
Thanks,
Hari

[Bevdeforges]

Basically, your employer should be advising you on this, as they can ease many of the steps for you. (A large employer can probably handle much of this. If you're going with a smaller employer or you're the first foreigner they've hired, you'll wind up doing more of it yourself.)

At a minimum, you'll need confirmation from your employer of your job offer and the clearance they obtained for hiring a foreigner. (Probably in the form of a letter - in French.) You'll need to go to the local French consulate (i.e. the consulate that serves the area in which you are currently resident) to apply for a visa - and they may request the employer's confirmation letter before they will give you the forms.

Once you've filled everything out and submitted it, they normally tell you the process will take about three months. (They say this to everyone.) It may be less, but sometimes I think they just let the paper sit on someone's desk for a certain period of time (like letting wine age?). Be sure they stamp your visa with your entry date when you get to France. If somehow they don't stamp the visa, go to the local gendarmerie and ask them to stamp your visa to document your arrival in France.

Then, you can apply for your carte de séjour - which takes another three months once you're in France.
Cheers,
Bev

[hvarrier]

Thanks Bev