French prefecture expels woman for breaching work permit with self-employment
Working as a micro-entrepreneur is not permitted under a titre de séjour salarié
The woman was questioned about why she had the second job, and told that the titre de séjour salarié d’un an did not allow other work
RVillalon / Shutterstock
A woman has been expelled from France by the Paris prefecture for having a side-job as a micro-entrepreneur while on a titre de séjour salarié one-year work permit.
The titre de séjour salarié is one of 10 different residency cards open to British and other non-Europeans who want to stay in France, and who do not qualify for the special Brexit-related titres de séjour.
Of the 10, four are related to work.
The titre de séjour salarié ou travailleur temporaire is backed by a French work contract, with residency rights linked to that contract.
A similar carte de séjour "entrepreneur/profession libérale" d'un étranger en France is given for people carrying out business, artisanal or professional activities for longer than three months.
In order to qualify, the business has to be registered and have a Siret number. You must also prove the business is economically viable, via bank statements and invoices, and you have enough income from it to support yourself.
You must hold relevant certificates showing you are qualified to do the work, and the card is valid for a year before you have to go through the process again.
A more restrictive work-related titre de séjour is the carte de séjour pluriannuelle – travailleur saisonnier, for people doing seasonal work. This can include in hotels, campsites, ski resorts and on farms/vineyards.
It is valid for three years but does not allow you to work for more than six months in a year in France, or bring family to France. You must show that you have kept a home outside France.
The final work-related titre de séjour is the carte de séjour pluriannuelle – salarié détaché ICT (where ICT stands for Intra Corporate Transfer).
Read more: French worker sacked for working at home - from Canada - loses appeal
Working rules for non-EU firms
It applies to people working for multi-national firms based outside the EU who are sent to France for longer than a year, to either work in an office attached directly to the head office, or to work in a French-registered unit of the company.
Applications are made from France, where applicants will already be on a long-stay visa related to the work.
The applicant must be a senior manager or be qualified in skills which are not available in France. They must have worked for the firm posting them to France for at least six months.
In the Paris case, an Algerian woman with a titre de séjour salarié d’un an came to the attention of the authorities through her work as a micro-entrepreneur.
Lawyers highlighting the case did not say what either of her jobs entailed.
She was called into the prefecture, questioned about why she had the second job, and told that the titre de séjour salarié d’un an did not allow other work, before being handed a notice to quit France.
In such cases, different prefectures might take a different view.
Read more: Post-Brexit admin is not detering British seasonal workers to France
