[Harry1982]

Dont quote me on this BUT...

Im an Australian here on the WHV also, in France. To the best of my knowledge once "you" find work, you take the proposed contract off for authorisation for the work for the duration of said contract, at the department du travail. After this, you work.

As far as getting the WHV "activated" upon arrival, well, thats news to me! :-O

With what I know from my long and painful experience with obtaining work, dealing with the prefecture and various employment agencies and the department du travail, if I was in her situation I wouldn't be worried in the slightest. Continue on, business as usual and pretend as though I simply hadn't found any work yet.

Nothing to see here Mr Official.

I would be checking the directions and instructions posted on the relevant embassy website for your friend. On the Australian one, it says nothing about "activation upon arrival".

Good luck!

 

[Harry1982]

Righto, I'll leave that alt+tabbed game on pause for a sec and grab my passport.

Ben voila!

On the actual WHV visa in my passport which was issued in Sydney, it says "Dispense temporaire de carte de sejour" (exempt from the carte de sejour).

And yep, spot on, your last paragraph is exactly how I have experienced it.

My understanding from various sources including the prefecture, website etc are the following steps in their most basic fashion for simplicities sake;

1. After arriving with apprpriate WHV, find an employer directly (sans "interim", but this is posssibly tricky depending on her location and employers know-how) who will offer a work contract to you. Keep in mind step 2.

2. Take/post said contract off for authorisation at the Department du Travail, which I have been told from an employee can take 1-3 weeks for it to be authorised and returned.

3. Start work.

4. (later) I "think" its the employer who handles the Social Security number application normally, however you "can" do it yourself, and this is after about 3 months of working as their is a minimum of a) time spent working and b) time spent in France, to qualify for the SSN.


But yeah, no-ones the wiser and its TOTALLY believable that it took her this long to find a job! ;-)

 

[Harry1982]

Hi Harry,
I'm a fellow Australian with a WHV and just had a bit of a panic attack about whether or not I need to go through some sort of OFII or carte de sejour process (I can't figure out if they're the same thing?) on arrival in France.

Taking this thread to mean you've also simply arrived in France - no registration of any sort required UNLESS you find work - which I don't plan to do, I'm just using it as a means to travel and explore the country.

Have tried various means of finding out from the consulate in Syd but of course to no avail!
Any thoughts/advice/opinion greatly appreciated!
Cheers
Sara

Hello! Based on my experience, you just need to make sure you get a stamp upon arrival at the airport. Other than that, its you who initiates and further proceedings regarding work when you arrive with your contract to ask for authorisation at the department du travail.

Until that point, you're under no obligations to do anything official! So don't freak out...!

Keep in mind though the regulations if you plan to travel abroad of France. Then you are operating on your passport, not your French visa, which is to say, the Shengen Area maximum stay rules etc.

Hope this helped!