France introduces new immigration rules for foreign workers who lose their jobs

France has introduced new immigration rules allowing eligible foreign workers who lose their jobs to remain in the country for up to six months while seeking new employment.

The reforms also reduce residence permit processing times and make it easier for certain skilled professionals to move to France from other European Union countries.

According to a report by The Economic Times, the changes affect temporary workers, EU Blue Card holders and other categories of foreign employees legally residing in France.

The measures form part of France’s implementation of the revised European Union Blue Card and Single Permit Directives, aimed at improving employment mobility and residence rights for non-EU nationals.

Foreign workers get three to six months to secure new jobs

Under the revised rules, foreign nationals holding Temporary Worker residence permits who become unemployed will have three months to secure another job without immediately losing their residence status.

Previously, their residence permits could be withdrawn following the termination of employment.

Workers who secure another employer within the three-month period can remain in France but must obtain fresh work authorisation.

• For EU Blue Card holders, the unemployment grace period has been extended to six months.
• Unlike temporary workers, eligible Blue Card holders who secure another job will not need fresh work authorisation.

The changes are expected to provide greater employment flexibility for skilled foreign professionals, including Nigerians working in France under eligible residence categories.

France reduces residence permit processing time to 90 days

The French government has also reduced the standard processing period for most complete residence permit applications from four months to 90 days.

However, immigration authorities may extend the processing period by another 30 days for complex applications.

• Applications that receive no decision within 90 days will generally be considered implicitly refused, compared with the previous four-month timeframe.
• The reforms also introduce changes to the EU Blue Card programme. Foreign nationals who have held an EU Blue Card issued by another EU member state for at least 12 months can now qualify to move to France for employment, compared with the previous requirement of 18 months.

For employment contracts lasting less than two years, Blue Cards will now be issued for the contract duration plus three additional months, subject to a two-year maximum.

France’s reform efforts

France’s latest reforms come amid broader efforts by European countries to attract and retain skilled foreign workers while addressing labour shortages.

• In May 2025, Nairametrics reported that France announced over 80 in-demand occupations for foreign workers, covering construction, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality and information technology.
• Another report highlighted France’s projected need for up to 310,000 foreign workers annually by 2040, citing labour shortages and an ageing population.
• Similarly, Luxembourg recently announced higher work permit salary requirements for foreign workers from January 2027, including revised thresholds for skilled and unskilled employees.

Meanwhile, some provisions of France’s latest reforms, including proposed salary thresholds for intracompany transferees and work permit exemptions for certain UK-based employees, are awaiting further implementation details.