The French government has eased EU Blue Card eligibility criteria for foreign workers. Five major modifications have been made by the French government to attract and retain a skilled foreign workforce in the country.

The professional experience eligibility criteria have been modified, the mandatory employment contract duration has been reduced, and the intra-EU mobility rules have been relaxed, reports Fragomen.

The EU Blue Card is a work and residency permit in the European Union for highly skilled non-EU people. It enables people to live and work in an EU member country, simplifying their access to the labor market and promoting their mobility within the Union.

The new relaxed rules allow EU Blue Card holders to transfer to France from another EU Member State more freely, giving employers more flexibility in relocating talent permanently to France.

Employers can now select highly skilled candidates from a larger pool of applications, which is especially crucial due to the current labor shortages in France, reported Fragomen.

The ease of settling and working in France for Long-term Residence Permit holders is expected to boost talent retention in the country.

Education Criteria removed

The French EU Blue Card was only open to applicants with either a three-year higher education degree or five years of relevant professional experience.

However, applicants who have at least three years of relevant professional experience (acquired in the previous seven years) are now eligible for a French EU Blue Card, even if they lack relevant educational qualifications.

This pathway will only be available to certain roles, to be defined in a future decree of the Council of State.

Reduced work contract durations

Employment contracts now only need to be six months in duration, down from the previous 12-month minimum. Typically, highly skilled workers are hired for permanent, long-term contracts. The lower lock-in period will provide faster opportunities for workers to look for new jobs if required.

Relaxed intra-EU mobility rules

As per the new rules, the holders of a non-French EU Blue Card who have resided for at least 12 months in another EU Member State can now enter France without a separate visa.

Previously, this right of entry only applied after 18 months’ residence in the other EU Member State. However, within at least one month of arriving in France, the foreign national must apply for a French EU Blue Card.

Furthermore, if such individuals have lived in a second EU Member State for six months (after 12 months in the first EU Member State), they can now enter France without an additional visa. The one-month application deadline for a French EU Blue Card continues.

Increased visa duration for short-term contracts

EU Blue Cards now have a validity period that is three months longer than the related work contract, up to a maximum of 24 months, in cases where the contract is less than two years long. In the past, the length of the visa could not exceed the length of the related contract.

As before, the EU Blue Card validity period will continue to correspond with the duration of the related work contract (up to a maximum of four years) if the contract is two years or longer.

The extended validity of three months will allow foreign workers to maintain their right to stay and work in France while taking renewal actions or looking for a new job.

EU Long-term Residence Permit

Getting the five years of residency required to qualify for the 10-year EU Long-term Residence Permit has become simpler for EU Blue Card holders.

The five-year total now includes time spent on specific other sorts of residence permits as specified in the French Code, as opposed to the previous practice of only counting time spent in other EU Member States on an EU Blue Card.

The new modified EU Blue Card rules are in effect from May 2, 2025.