France

Student card, then the job-search or business-creation card (APS/RECE). France gives master’s-level graduates a one-year, non-renewable card to find a job or start a business, then an ordinary employee, Talent or entrepreneur card; study years count toward naturalisation, which drops to 2 years for people who did their higher education in France.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Student card, then the job-search or business-creation card (APS/RECE)

A one-year, non-renewable card with full work rights or the right to build a business in your field.

Who qualifies

A student residence card and a diploma at least equivalent to a master’s (or a professional licence or a Conférence des Grandes Écoles-labelled qualification) from a state-recognised French institution.
CESEDA, Art. L.422-10
The "recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise" card is issued for 12 months and is not renewable, though a graduate who has left France may still apply within 4 years of the diploma; the older APS (autorisation provisoire de séjour) is the same thing under its previous name.
CESEDA, Art. L.422-10 to L.422-14
Full-time work in any job is allowed (the student card is capped at 964 hours a year); health cover throughout; apply online before the student card expires.
Campus France, the temporary residence permit after graduation (APS)

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

It could fit.

Student card, then the job-search or business-creation card (APS/RECE) needs admission to a qualifying course; the course and your passport then decide it.

What would settle itYour admission and the course’s eligibility under the destination’s rules.

Every option that fits your family

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Time: 1–2 years for a master’s, then days to two months for the card at the prefecture, then 12 months to land the job.
Cost: Non-EU tuition at public universities is a state-set fee, about €3,900 a year for a licence and €4,300 for a master’s (about $4,300–4,700), though grandes écoles and business schools charge $15,000–30,000; the card itself is a stamp fee of about €225. Living costs of about €615 a month must be shown for the student visa.
The hard part: A strict one-year clock with no extension, and a first job at 1.5 SMIC or a real business by the end of it; French at B2 is needed for the citizenship that makes this option worth it.

Citizens by 2031.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
1 year, not renewable.
2029
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2031
Citizenship
The decision usually takes 12–21 months.

Language: French at B2 in speaking and writing, shown with a TCF or TEF certificate under 2 years old or a French diploma at that level (raised from B1 on 1 January 2026).
Civics: The civic exam, compulsory since 1 January 2026: 40 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes on French values, institutions and history, with at least 32 right to pass. Then an assimilation interview at the prefecture.
Time away: France must be your home: the centre of your working life and family ties, with a valid residence card when you apply. There is no fixed day count, but long spells abroad can break the 5 years.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Student and job-search years do not count toward the 10-year resident card (so about 5 more years on a work card after this one), but a French degree earned after 2 years of study cuts the naturalisation clock to 2 years.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax: Living and working in France full time makes you a French tax resident on worldwide income; study alone usually does not unless your centre of interests moves there.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Apply online for the job-search or business-creation card as soon as your master’s is confirmed, before your student card expires.Open demarche.numerique.gouv.fr ↗
Gather these documents.
- The degree or admission letter, and proof of funds
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

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