Chinese citizens can work legally in France, but in most cases you first need an offer from a French employer. The employer then applies for a work authorisation, unless you qualify for a talent card. A first stay needs a long-stay visa, so entering on a short-stay visa and sorting out the job afterwards generally does not work. If you earn at least €39,582 a year (about ¥294,000) and hold a master’s-level degree, you can use a talent card, for which the employer needs no work authorisation.
The harder part is the market. Unemployment rose to 8.3% in the second quarter of 2026, white-collar hiring is weak, and there is no official count of Mandarin-speaking jobs. Fees and rules here are as of November 2026. Yuan figures use the ECB reference rate of 30 October 2026, €1 = ¥7.4326.
The French job market today
INSEE says 8.3% is the highest rate since the third quarter of 2020, and 21.6% of 15 to 24 year olds are unemployed. Foreign jobseekers feel this too: AFP, citing interior ministry data, reports 51,190 first residence permits on economic grounds in 2025, down about 13% on 2024.
France Travail’s 2026 survey counted 2.28 million planned hires. Employers expect 43.8% to be hard to fill, and 41% are permanent contracts. Demand is highest for kitchen assistants, waiters, vineyard and farm workers, cleaners, home carers and nursing aides. Most of these are not the office jobs Chinese applicants tend to want, and the language demands are real.
On the white-collar side, Apec reports that only 8% of companies hired at least one cadre (managerial or professional employee) in Q4 2025, the lowest since its series began in December 2020, although hiring intentions at large companies picked up. For a wider picture, see our France guide.
Mandarin-speaking jobs and Chinese companies
Mandarin speakers can look at French subsidiaries of Chinese companies, Chinese banks, tourism and luxury retail serving Chinese customers, and China trade and logistics. This is a general observation: we found no official count of Mandarin jobs or of Chinese companies in France. These examples have public sources:
- AESC (Douai): a battery maker owned by Envision Group. The plant opened on 3 June 2025. Caixin reports 650 jobs in the first phase, with 1,000 expected at full production.
- Bank of Communications, Paris branch: set up in 2016 to serve French subsidiaries of Chinese companies and Chinese affiliates of French ones (Choose Paris Region, 2021).
- BYD: an executive said at the Paris Motor Show on 12 October 2026 that France is on the shortlist for a new plant. This is only under consideration, with no site, budget or job numbers.
- Huawei, Brumath: the plant is built, but French media reported in late October 2025 that Huawei was weighing whether to start production or sell. The company did not comment. Do not count on it as an employer.
Where to look: start with the public employment service France Travail, and Apec for cadre jobs. Ask early whether the employer will file a work authorisation, or whether the pay reaches the talent threshold. Many small French firms have never done this.
Work permit routes compared
Talent thresholds come from the reference salary of €39,582, in force since 1 September 2025 and shown as current by Légifrance on 31 October 2026. It may be revised. The old name was passeport talent; the official term is now the “talent” card. For all visa types, see our France visa guide.
| Route | For whom | Main conditions | Employer needs work authorisation | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salarié (employee) | General employees on a CDI | Pay at or above SMIC or the collective agreement; employer in good standing | Yes | 1 year, renewable; a 4-year card may follow |
| Travailleur temporaire | Staff on a CDD | As above | Yes | 1 year, renewal follows the contract; cannot lead to a multi-year card |
| Talent, qualified employee | Master’s-level degree | Gross pay at least €39,582 a year; contract over 3 months | No | Matches contract, up to 4 years |
| Talent, EU Blue Card | Three-year higher education or 5 years’ relevant experience | Gross pay at least €59,373 a year (about ¥441,000); contract of at least 6 months | No | Up to 4 years on a 2-year contract; otherwise contract plus 3 months |
| Talent, employee on assignment | Intra-group transfers | Gross pay at least €39,582; 3 months in the group; French contract | No | Depends on contract |
| Job search card (RECE) | Master’s-level graduates of French institutions | Job linked to studies, gross pay above €2,800.53 a month | No | 1 year, not renewable |
Two points for students in France: you can work up to 964 hours a year while studying, and on changing status after graduation the job must match your degree and experience.
How the work authorisation works from China
- Get the offerAgree the contract type, job and pay with the French employer
- Employer advertisesThe job must run for 3 consecutive weeks with a public employment service such as France Travail in the previous 6 months, with no valid applicant; shortage occupations are exempt
- Employer applies onlineOnline only and free; no reply after 2 months means refusal
- Apply for the long-stay visaAfter approval, apply to the consular post; the standard visa fee is €99
- Validate after arrivalValidate the long-stay visa online within 3 months of arriving; tax of €300
- Apply for the residence cardAt least 2 months before expiry; standard card tax €350, renewal €250
Employers file through the interior ministry’s foreigners’ platform (ANEF) at the work authorisation portal; the employer or its authorised agent files, not the applicant. Officials check four things: the labour market test or shortage list, the employer’s social security compliance and record, pay, and any rules for regulated professions. A hire clearly out of proportion to the business can also be refused.
Employers also face a cost. On a first permit for a non-EU employee with a contract of at least 3 months they pay a specific tax. For contracts of 12 months or more it is about 55% of one month’s gross pay, capped at 2.5 times the SMIC. For small firms, this and the time involved can matter more than the legal conditions.
The work authorisation application is free, so be wary of agents selling a guaranteed work permit. Employers risk a criminal fine of up to €30,000 per worker for illegal hiring, and being caught can also damage the worker’s future residence applications.
The 2024 immigration law and 2026 changes
- Shortage occupations: the current list for mainland France comes from the order of 21 May 2025 and is set by region. Listed jobs skip the labour market test. The law calls for yearly updates, but as of November 2026 we found no newer mainland list (a private guide cites separate orders of June 2026 for overseas departments), so employers should recheck before filing.
- Regularisation in shortage jobs: a temporary route created by the law of 26 January 2024. It needs 3 years of continuous residence and 12 months of work in the past 24, and it runs only until 31 December 2026. A law firm article updated in September says no extension has been adopted. It is not for newcomers.
- Language and civic exam: since 1 January 2026, a first multi-year card requires French at A2 and a civic exam, and a resident card requires B1. Salarié holders meet this when moving to the 4-year card. Press reports say talent holders are exempt for multi-year cards but must pass it for a 10-year card or citizenship.
- Higher fees: from 1 May 2026 the standard first permit fee rose from €225 to €350, renewal from €225 to €250, and long-stay visa validation from €200 to €300.
Pay: the SMIC and typical earnings
Since 1 June 2026 the SMIC has been €12.31 an hour, or €1,867.02 gross a month full time (about ¥13,900) and about €1,477.93 net (about ¥11,000). This is the legal floor in mainland France and most overseas departments; Mayotte has a separate rate. We found no later revision as of November 2026.
The median of €2,190 net is about ¥16,300, and the cadre average of €4,629 is about ¥34,400. These figures are before income tax; see our France tax guide.
Apec’s 2024 survey put median gross cadre pay at €54,000 a year, €58,000 in Île-de-France. In IT it was €55,000 nationally and €61,000 in Île-de-France. Press coverage of its 2025 survey gives a median of about €55,000, and about €43,000 for under-30s. So younger applicants outside Paris may not reach the Blue Card level. To compare neighbours, see our guides to working in Germany, Spain and Italy.
Contracts and employee rights
| Topic | French rule | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| CDI (open-ended) | The standard contract | Matches the salarié card, which can lead to a 4-year card |
| CDD (fixed-term) | Temporary tasks only, generally up to 18 months | An unlawful CDD can be requalified as a CDI by a court; an end-of-contract payment of at least 10% usually applies |
| Probation (CDI) | Workers and clerical staff 2 months; supervisors and technicians 3; cadres 4 | One renewal needs a branch agreement, a contract clause and your written consent; maximum 4/6/8 months |
| Hours | 35 a week | Maximum 10 a day and 48 in a week, and an average of 44 over 12 weeks |
| Overtime | With no collective agreement, +25% for the first 8 hours, then +50% | 35 hours is the overtime threshold, not a cap on work |
| Paid leave | 2.5 days a month, 30 working days a year (5 weeks) | Applies to CDI, CDD and part-time staff |
If an employer ends a probation after 1 to 3 months, it must give 2 weeks’ notice; after more than 3 months, 1 month. These are legal minimums, and the collective agreement (convention collective) and your contract set the details. The texts are on the French labour code site.
FAQ
Can I work in France without French?
The law does not require a French certificate for every job, and the talent card conditions include no language test. But a salarié holder needs A2 for the 4-year card, and daily work and changing sector often depend on French. English-speaking work is mostly in international firms and technical roles. That is a general observation, not a statistic.
Does my Chinese degree need recognition?
For unregulated jobs the employer decides, and it may ask for an ENIC-NARIC comparability statement, which costs €70 and takes 3 to 4 months. Regulated professions such as doctors need a separate authorisation to practise. For paperwork in China, see degree authentication and apostille.
What happens if I lose or change my job?
A salarié holder who is unemployed and receiving France Travail benefits can get a 1-year card, and after that the length follows the unemployment entitlement. Changing employer requires the new employer’s electronic work authorisation. Talent cards have their own conditions, so check before you move.
Will the shortage list still matter after 2026?
Separate the two. What expires is the regularisation route. On our reading, the list’s role in waiving the labour market test comes from a different provision, and no official source says it ends on the same day. Check the texts in force at the time.
Sources
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- INSEE: Les salaires dans le secteur privé en 2024 (Insee Première no 2079) (accessed November 2026)
- INSEE: Taux de chômage, 2e trimestre 2026 (Informations Rapides no 192) (accessed November 2026)
- France Travail: Besoins en main-d’œuvre 2026 (accessed November 2026)
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