France speeds up residence permits: a decision in 90 days, a new employer after six months

In brief

• Decree No. 2026-1001 of 26 October 2026 took effect on 30 October. The changes are described on the official portal service-public.gouv.fr.
• A decision on most residence permit applications within 90 days instead of 4 months, extendable by 30 days for complex files.
• The ban on changing employer after the first work authorisation was cut from 12 to 6 months.
• Holders of a "temporary worker" card keep their right of residence during involuntary unemployment of up to 3 months.
• A Blue Card holder whose card is withdrawn because of employer breaches gets 6 months to find a new job.

What the decree of 26 October changed

France has transposed part of European Directive 2024/1233 on the single permit. The directive sets a common set of rights for non-EU workers legally resident in a member state: one permit for residence and work, clear decision deadlines and less dependence on a single employer. Decree No. 2026-1001 writes these rules into the Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and the Right of Asylum.

There are many changes, but five matter for a foreigner living in France or planning to move there. We have put them in one table:

The key item is the decision deadline. Previously a prefecture could stay silent for four months, which for a family meant four months without a clear status, with difficulties at the bank, with the employer and when travelling. Now the prefect has 90 days. The deadline can be extended by another 30 days only if the file is genuinely complex.

What this means for you. If you apply for a French residence permit after 30 October, expect a decision within 90 days, or 120 days for a complex file. Planning a family move, school and a lease is now easier.

You can change employer after six months

The second important change affects those who came to work. After a first work authorisation in France, a foreigner could not change employer for a full year. That tied a person to one company: leaving a bad manager or taking a better offer meant risking one's status. Now the period is 6 months.

For specialists this is real freedom on the labour market. Six months into a job you can accept another company's offer without starting the paperwork from scratch. For employers it works the other way: keeping foreign staff will take good conditions rather than status rules.

The decree also protects holders of a "temporary worker" card on a fixed-term contract. If they lose their job involuntarily, they keep their right of residence. They may be out of work for no more than 3 months over the card's validity. For those who worked in conditions of human trafficking, forced labour or other situations incompatible with human dignity, the limit is up to 6 months.

What it means if the prefecture stays silent

The 90-day deadline matters as more than a promise of a quick answer. As a general rule of French residence law, a prefecture's silence after the deadline counts as a refusal. Such an implicit refusal can be challenged: first by asking the prefecture for its reasons, then by filing an appeal with the administrative court. How courts and prefectures will apply the new deadline will become clear in the coming months.

While a decision is pending, the applicant should hold a document confirming lawful stay: a filing receipt or a temporary certificate. Most applications are now filed through the online system for foreigners (ANEF), and the filing confirmation arrives there. Keep it: the 90 days run from the filing date, and that confirmation shows the bank, the employer and border officers that your status is in progress.

A practical tip: mark the 90th day after filing in your calendar. If by then you have neither a decision nor a request for further documents, it makes sense to write to the prefecture. We help draft such a request and, if needed, prepare an appeal.

Two examples

• An engineer from India received his first French work authorisation in June 2026. Under the old rules he could change employer only in June 2027. Under the new ones he can do so as early as December 2026, provided the new job meets the conditions of his status.
• A specialist on an EU Blue Card learns that her employer has not paid social contributions and the prefecture intends to withdraw the card. Previously she lost her status along with the job. Now she has 6 months to find a new employer and keeps her status in the meantime.

EU Blue Card: protection from employer mistakes

The multi-year "talent - EU Blue Card" is meant for specialists with at least three years of higher education. A prefect may refuse to renew it or withdraw it if the employer has failed its obligations on social security, tax or workers' rights. Previously the employee paid for the company's mistake.

Now, before withdrawing the card or refusing renewal on such grounds, the prefect must give the foreigner 6 months to look for a new job. The period runs from the date of notification. It can be extended to match the remaining period of unemployment benefit.

The decree also restated the rules on the Blue Card's own term:

The EU Blue Card and the talent passport are the main routes to France for specialists. More detail on options for skilled professionals is in our talent passport guide and the section on residence for talent.

What it means for families

The new deadlines also apply to family members. The spouse and children of a foreign worker obtain their own cards through separate applications, and the 90-day deadline covers most of them. This matters especially when a family moves in stages: the working partner goes first and the others follow months later. Previously the gap between cards could stretch to six months or more.

France already gave EU Blue Card holders family reunification benefits: the spouse receives a card at the same time as the main applicant and may work. The new decree does not remove these benefits. It adds protection against losing status because of employer mistakes, which for a family means less risk of being left without documents because of someone else's breaches.

Who is affected and who is not

The changes affect non-EU nationals who work or plan to work in France: as employees, on fixed-term contracts, with an EU Blue Card or on an intra-corporate transfer. The 90-day deadline covers most residence permit applications, so other categories of applicants benefit too.

A new condition applies to intra-corporate transfers (ICT): an annual salary threshold for the "ICT posted employee" and "ICT trainee" cards. A separate ministerial order will set the amount; as of 9 November 2026 it has not been published. The aim is for these cards to go to experts and managers as defined in the 2014 European directive.

Financially independent people who move to France on a visitor visa and do not work are not affected by the employer rules. But the 90-day deadline matters to them too: renewing long-stay status becomes faster. The procedure is described in our visitor visa guide. Another change in the same decree, the work permit exemption for staff of British companies on certain assignments, is covered in a separate report.

France against the general trend

France's move stands out against its neighbours. Most European countries are tightening rules for foreigners. Britain is raising the wait for settlement to 10 years, Finland is limiting processing times for work permits, and several EU countries are lengthening the path to citizenship. France, by contrast, is cutting deadlines and loosening the tie to one employer.

The reason is that France is transposing a common European directive. The same single permit rules must appear in all EU countries. France was among the first, so its procedure is worth knowing even if you are choosing another country. For comparison, see the work rules in Italy, Portugal and Hungary.

What to do now

Documents for a French prefecture are prepared in French, and foreign certificates must be translated and often legalised. Our team prepares documents and supports filing. If you are choosing a country to move to, compare options in our residence catalogue, and find background on the France page. We will review your situation in an online consultation.

We are watching for the order on the salary threshold for intra-group transfers and for the first prefecture decisions under the new deadlines. Once figures and practice appear, we will update this report and inform clients whose applications are already filed.