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Access to work of the asylum seeker

Verified 02 April 2021 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister)

Additional cases ?

Access to Refugee Work

Foreign labour service reform

Published on 2 April 2021

The Ministry of the Interior has since 1to April 2021 monitoring of foreigner workers. This mission was previously carried out by the Direcctes.

6 April 2021, new online service will file online work authorisation applications.

For the first 6 months

You may not obtain permission to work for the first 6 months after your application is registered by theOfpra: titleContent.

However, pending Ofpra's response, you may, under certain conditions, benefit from Asylum-seeker's allowance (Ada).

FYI  

if you have entered France with a long-stay visa issued via an asylum application, you receive a 6-month receipt in the prefecture that allows you to work.

After 6 months

You can request a work authorisation if you meet the following 2 conditions:

  • You are the holder of the asylum certificate
  • Your application is being reviewed more than 6 months by Ofpra.

In this case, when you apply to renew the expired certificate, you can also apply for a work authorisation. A promise of employment or a contract of employment must accompany the application.

Apply online for work authorisation to hire a foreigner

If the proposed employment contract is valid, your future employer must request a work permission.

The application shall be reviewed by the rules that apply to all foreigners workers in France. In particular, the Administration shall analyse employment situation in the occupation and the employment pool concerned.

The duration of the work authorisation cannot exceed the duration of your receipt, which is 6 months. The work authorisation is renewable until the Ofpra decision.

The application for authorisation shall be examined under the same conditions as those applicable to all foreigner workers.

If you obtained the right to work before the Ofpra's rejection decision, you retain this right in case of an appeal before the CNDA.

If you did not obtain this right during the asylum procedure before Opfra, or if you did not exercise it, you cannot work during the entire period of review of your appeal before the CNDA.