Post Study Work Visa France: Indian Graduate Routes

24 min read · Published on August 11, 2026 · Updated on August 11, 2026

The 12-month India Master APS, renewable once, is one post study work visa route in France, not an automatic two-year open permit. It serves Indian nationals with an eligible master-equivalent qualification. Other graduates move through ordinary RECE, direct employee status or a carte talent. Qualifying RECE work currently needs more than EUR 2,800.53 gross a month, about INR 3.08 lakh, but the exact award comes first, so the next decision is to identify what the final diploma proves.

APS means autorisation provisoire de séjour, a temporary residence authorisation. RECE means recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise, the ordinary French residence route for finding work or creating a related business after certain French qualifications. The two names are often mixed online, but their eligibility and renewal rules are different.

Can Indian graduates stay and work in France after studying?

Indian graduates can stay when they meet the conditions of a specific residence route, but graduation alone doesn’t extend student status. The main choices depend on nationality, the exact qualification, whether the graduate is still in France, and whether a suitable job or business project already exists.

The French Interior Ministry’s current bilateral guidance places India under the Master APS route. The ordinary RECE rules sit separately in French law. A graduate who already has a contract may instead move directly to employee or Talent status rather than spend time on a search document.

Which route matches the graduate’s position?Green marks a likely first route to examine. Amber needs additional job, salary or project conditions. Red marks a common mismatch.

Graduate’s position	First route to examine	What decides it
Indian national in France with an eligible master-equivalent award	India Master APS	Exact qualification, eligible institution or partnership, and the bilateral conditions
Graduate covered by the ordinary French post-study rules	RECE card	Listed French qualification, current student status and filing before expiry
Graduate with a suitable CDI or CDD already secured	Direct salarié or travailleur temporaire	Employer work authorisation, job relationship and the labour-market rule
Graduate with an eligible French award and a higher-paid contract	Carte talent salarié qualifié	French qualification, contract longer than three months and annual salary
Highly qualified graduate with a much higher-paid contract	Talent EU Blue Card	Qualification or experience, contract length and Blue Card salary
Graduate relying on a five-year alumni circulation visa to work	None	The circulation visa does not permit work or job search

The final row matters because Campus France India describes the five-year alumni circulation visa separately and says it does not allow work or job search. That short-stay visa cannot replace a post-study residence document.

Is the France APS two years for Indian students?

Not as one automatic two-year open work visa. The India Master APS is valid for 12 months and can be renewed once, but the first issue and the renewal remain conditional. The France-India mobility agreement ties the period to a first professional experience related to the graduate’s training and paid at least 1.5 times the monthly minimum remuneration.

peuvent bénéficier, dans la perspective de leur retour en Inde, d’une autorisation de séjour en France
France-India mobility agreement, Article 3.2

The official wording makes three points that short summaries often drop. The qualification must be at least equivalent to a master’s, the professional experience must relate to the training, and the salary formula applies to the employment. “Renewable once” also does not mean that a second year appears automatically when the first document ends.

Ordinary RECE is different. Current Service Public RECE guidance gives it a one-year duration and states that it cannot be renewed.

La carte de séjour ou le VLS-TS est valable 1 an. Le renouvellement n’est pas possible.
Service Public

Point	India Master APS	Ordinary RECE
Legal basis	France-India bilateral agreement	Ordinary French immigration law
Published duration	12 months	One year
Published renewal	Renewable once	Not renewable
Qualification rule	At least master-equivalent	A published list that also includes licence professionnelle and certain CGE-labelled awards
Employment	Related to training and meets the bilateral salary formula	Related to studies or research and above the current RECE threshold
Business creation	Not expressly created as a general business right in the treaty’s graduate clause	Permitted for a project related to studies or research

Which French qualifications count for post-study status?

The exact award decides the first route, not the words MBA, MSc, MiM or “master” in a course title. The India APS needs a diploma at least equivalent to a master’s from a nationally authorised French institution, or an eligible Indian institution delivering a diploma through an international partnership with a French institution.

Ordinary RECE publishes a wider list. It currently covers a licence professionnelle, a Mastère Spécialisé, a Master of Science labelled by the Conférence des grandes écoles, or another diploma at least equivalent to the French grade de master. Grade de master is a formal academic award status, not a marketing description.

This distinction changes course selection. An MBA in France or an early-career MiM may be academically and professionally useful, yet its title alone proves none of the immigration tests. The French degree-recognition hierarchy separates a national diploma, grade de master, CGE label and RNCP level. The award named on the final programme documents is the relevant starting point.

There is one useful timing detail. Service Public says an ordinary RECE applicant may use a definitive success attestation when the printed diploma will be presented later. A student doesn’t necessarily have to lose the filing window while waiting for ceremonial graduation.

What can you do while holding APS or RECE?

A qualifying APS or RECE holder may take salaried work without the 964-hour student ceiling, but the job still needs the required relationship to the course and the applicable salary. Current national work-authorisation guidance says an employer does not need separate work authorisation for qualifying RECE or APS employment.

This is a change from student status, not unlimited permission. A student VLS-TS or student residence card normally permits up to 964 salaried hours in its year of validity, and student status does not permit auto-entrepreneur activity. RECE removes the hours ceiling for qualifying employment and expressly permits a related business project. The India APS treaty clause is written around employment rather than a general freelance right.

Before graduation, the student document’s 964-hour limit still governs ordinary salaried work.
During qualifying APS or RECE employment, the hours ceiling is not the test. The relationship to training and salary are.
Under ordinary RECE, business creation must relate to the graduate’s studies or research.
Under India Master APS, a graduate planning freelance work needs a route whose issued document expressly supports that activity.

A local prefecture form can use different shorthand from a national page. The safest evidence is the route’s national rule and the wording printed on the issued document, not an old APS form copied from another department.

How much must a graduate job pay?

The salary depends on the residence route, and EUR 2,800.53 is not a universal minimum for every graduate job. Service Public currently uses that monthly figure for qualifying RECE employment and for the training-related graduate exception in a direct employee change. Qualified Talent and the EU Blue Card have separate annual tests.

The French minimum wage is called SMIC. Service Public lists monthly gross SMIC at EUR 1,867.02 from 1 June 2026. The India treaty uses 1.5 times the minimum monthly remuneration, and the current RECE page publishes the resulting EUR 2,800.53 figure.

Current APS or RECE comparison = 1.5 x EUR 1,867.02 = EUR 2,800.53 gross a month

At the European Central Bank rate of EUR 1 to INR 110.1228 on 10 August 2026, EUR 2,800.53 is about INR 3.08 lakh gross a month. Exchange conversion helps an Indian family understand the scale, but the French application uses the euro salary written in the contract. These figures can change before a 2027 filing.

Route or decision	Current gross salary test (EUR)	Approx. gross salary (INR)	Condition beside salary
Qualifying RECE employment	More than EUR 2,800.53 a month	More than INR 3.08 lakh a month	Employment relates to studies or research
India Master APS employment	At least 1.5 times current monthly minimum remuneration	About INR 3.08 lakh a month at the current formula	Employment relates to training
Direct graduate employee exception	At least EUR 2,800.53 a month	At least INR 3.08 lakh a month	Job relates to training, unless another exception applies
Carte talent salarié qualifié	At least EUR 39,582 a year	About INR 43.59 lakh a year	Eligible French qualification and contract longer than three months
Talent EU Blue Card	At least EUR 59,373 a year	About INR 65.38 lakh a year	Qualification or experience and a contract of at least six months

Current route tests, with rupee estimates at EUR 1 to INR 110.1228 on 10 August 2026

The wording around EUR 2,800.53 is not perfectly uniform. The RECE page says work during RECE must pay more than the figure, while some next-status tables say “from” that amount. An offer exactly equal to the current number should not be treated as comfortably above the test.

Can you change directly from student to employee status?

Yes, a graduate with a suitable offer can move directly to employee status without first using APS or RECE. A permanent contract, known as a CDI, usually maps to the salarié card. A fixed-term contract, known as a CDD, usually maps to travailleur temporaire.

The employer has a formal role because it normally obtains work authorisation. Current Service Public guidance for work after study says the labour-market test is not applied for a licence professionnelle or master-equivalent graduate when the job relates to the training and pays at least EUR 2,800.53 gross a month. A listed shortage occupation is a separate exception.

A general licence or Bac+2 graduate cannot borrow the master-equivalent exception merely because the job is relevant. In that case, the employer’s work-authorisation route and the normal labour-market assessment remain important. The application belongs in the final two months before the student card expires.

When does the carte talent salarié qualifié fit?

Carte talent salarié qualifié fits when the graduate has both the specified French qualification and a contract longer than three months paying at least EUR 39,582 gross a year. “Talent passport France” remains a familiar older name, but current Service Public wording uses carte talent.

The qualification must be a French diploma at least equivalent to grade de master, or a nationally delivered CGE-labelled level 1 diploma. This is narrower than simply holding any foreign postgraduate degree. The current carte talent page also says the employer does not need separate work authorisation.

Votre employeur n’a pas à demander d’autorisation de travail et est exonéré du paiement de la taxe pour l’emploi d’un ressortissant étranger.
Service Public

That simpler employer step is valuable, but Talent isn’t automatically the better route. Its qualification and annual salary rules are stricter than ordinary employee status. A graduate already in France with a VLS-TS or residence card currently files online between four months and two months before the existing document expires.

How is the EU Blue Card different from other Talent routes?

The EU Blue Card is a separate Talent category with a higher salary and a different qualification test. It currently needs at least three years of higher education or qualifying comparable experience, a contract of at least six months, and EUR 59,373 gross annual pay.

Test	Carte talent salarié qualifié	Talent EU Blue Card
Qualification	Relevant French grade-master or listed CGE qualification	At least three years of higher education, or qualifying comparable experience
Minimum contract	Longer than three months	At least six months under current Service Public guidance
Current annual gross salary	EUR 39,582	EUR 59,373
Separate employer work authorisation	Not required	Not required

A EUR 3,600 monthly contract produces EUR 43,200 gross a year. That is about INR 47.57 lakh at the 10 August 2026 ECB rate. It clears the current qualified-employee Talent salary but not the Blue Card salary. One offer can therefore fit one Talent category and fail another.

There is also an official wording conflict for applicants outside France. Service Public now says six months, while the France-Visas international-talent page still carries older consular wording in parts of its guidance. An applicant using a contract shorter than one year needs the personalised France-Visas result rather than assuming that the in-country description controls a visa file abroad.

Can a graduate freelance or create a business?

A graduate may create a business only when the current residence route permits that activity. Student status doesn’t permit auto-entrepreneur activity. Ordinary RECE permits a business project related to the graduate’s studies or research, while the bilateral India APS treaty clause does not publish a blanket freelance right.

The ordinary entrepreneur or profession libérale card is a distinct residence route. Service Public says the activity must be the applicant’s main activity, economically viable, able to provide sufficient means, and related to the applicant’s qualifications or professional experience. Its current entrepreneur guidance also requires the evidence appropriate to the business and any regulated profession.

A Talent project route is stricter. Current carte talent guidance requires a master-equivalent diploma or five years of comparable experience, a real and serious project, at least EUR 30,000 in project financing, and resources at least equal to full-time SMIC. A social-media freelance plan cannot be assumed to meet those legal tests merely because it can be registered online.

Which documents should you prepare for post-study status?

The evidence must match the chosen route, because there is no combined APS, RECE, employee and Talent checklist. Identity and lawful-stay evidence recur, but the qualification, employer and project records answer different legal tests.

Route	Qualification evidence	Job or project evidence	Other evidence to expect
Ordinary RECE in France	Listed diploma from the last 12 months, or definitive success attestation where accepted	Related business-project proof only when business creation is the purpose	Current student document, identity, recent domicile, health insurance and locally requested items
India Master APS	At least master-equivalent award from the eligible French institution or partnership	Later employment must meet relationship and salary conditions	The responsible prefecture’s current bilateral form, channel and renewal evidence
Direct salarié or travailleur temporaire	Diploma evidence when the graduate exception is used	Employer’s work authorisation and contract or promise	Current residence title, identity, domicile and required declarations
Carte talent salarié qualifié	Qualifying French diploma	Employer attestation and regulated-profession evidence where applicable	Current visa or title, identity, domicile, e-photo and required declarations
Talent EU Blue Card	Bac+3 diploma or the permitted experience evidence	Employer attestation and qualifying contract	Current visa or title, identity, domicile, e-photo and required declarations
Entrepreneur or Talent project	Qualification or experience required by the route	Viability, financing, business plan, registration and any official project opinion	Identity, lawful stay, domicile and activity-specific evidence

The French student VLS-TS and residence sequence determines which current document supports an in-country change. A graduate who has already returned to India instead follows the visa route shown by France-Visas and may also need the India-specific Campus France process where instructed.

When should you apply before your status expires?

The application must enter the correct route before the current status ends. Ordinary RECE and direct employee changes use the final two months before student-card expiry in current national guidance. A Talent application from an existing VLS-TS or residence card currently opens four months before expiry and closes two months before expiry.

India Master APS does not have one national applicant-facing page that publishes a universal channel and filing window for every prefecture. The responsible prefecture’s bilateral process therefore matters before the student document expires. “Renewable once” is a duration rule, not permission to wait until after expiry.

An online ANEF submission receipt also has a narrow meaning. ANEF is the national online portal for foreign-national procedures. Service Public says the immediate attestation de dépôt is not a temporary residence document, does not prove lawful stay and does not authorise work. A later attestation extending examination can have different effects.

A graduate who has left France may use the ordinary RECE return provision within four years of an eligible French diploma. That is separate from the India APS renewal rule and from the five-year alumni circulation visa. Official Campus France India wording combines some of these features, so an Indian applicant abroad needs the personalised France-Visas route for the actual case.

What does a complete graduation-to-work sequence look like?

The sequence below shows how the qualification, search document, work permission and professional residence title remain separate decisions. It is an example, not a promise about a 2027 process date. The salary figures need another official check when the real application is filed.

Step	Timing in the example	What happens	Decision produced
1	June 2027	Ananya receives a definitive success attestation for a nationally authorised French programme awarding grade de master	The exact award supports the first route check
2	June or July 2027	The responsible prefecture identifies the India bilateral APS procedure	The correct search-period filing route is known
3	Before 30 September 2027	The instructed application goes in with the current student title, identity, domicile, insurance and qualification evidence	The student status is not left to expire without a filed route
4	During the valid search period	Any job is checked against the issued document, relationship to training and current salary	Work permission is assessed separately from residence duration
5	When a EUR 3,600 monthly CDI arrives	Annual gross pay is calculated as EUR 3,600 x 12, which equals EUR 43,200	The offer clears today’s RECE and qualified Talent salary figures but not today’s Blue Card figure
6	Before the search document expires	Direct salarié and carte talent salarié qualifié are compared	The employer-authorisation trade-off and exact diploma test are visible
7	Inside the chosen filing window	The eligible professional residence application is submitted	The job-search period is converted into the route that supports the actual work

The worked example is also useful when choosing a course. A recognised master’s programme in France can support a route only when the final award meets its legal test. The full study-in-France plan needs this award check before tuition, living costs and post-study expectations are treated as one investment decision.

Key takeaways

India’s bilateral Master APS lasts 12 months and is renewable once, while ordinary RECE lasts one year and cannot be renewed.
A course title does not prove post-study eligibility. The exact award and its formal recognition decide the first route.
EUR 2,800.53 a month, EUR 39,582 a year and EUR 59,373 a year belong to different routes as of 11 August 2026.
A graduate with a suitable contract may move directly to employee or Talent status without using a search period first.
The immediate ANEF submission receipt does not prove lawful stay or authorise work.

Frequently asked questions

How long can an Indian student stay in France after a master’s?

An eligible Indian graduate may receive the bilateral Master APS for 12 months, renewable once. Eligibility and renewal aren’t automatic. The award must be at least master-equivalent under the France-India agreement, and the responsible prefecture’s current procedure controls the application and renewal evidence.

Is the France APS an open two-year work visa for Indian graduates?

No. India Master APS is issued for 12 months and can be renewed once, but qualifying employment must relate to the graduate’s training and meet the treaty salary formula. The graduate also needs the exact APS process used by the responsible prefecture and cannot assume the renewal happens automatically.

Which diploma qualifies for post-study work in France?

The answer depends on the route. India Master APS needs an award at least equivalent to a master’s from an eligible institution or partnership. Ordinary RECE also lists licence professionnelle, Mastère Spécialisé and CGE-labelled Master of Science awards. A marketed MBA or MSc title alone isn’t proof.

Can I work full time on APS or RECE in France?

Qualifying APS or RECE employment is not restricted by the 964-hour student ceiling under current national guidance. The job must still relate to the relevant training or studies and meet the salary rule. The wording on the issued residence document should also support the actual work.

Can I become an auto-entrepreneur after graduating in France?

Not on student status, which does not permit auto-entrepreneur activity. Ordinary RECE can support a business project related to the graduate’s studies or research. An India APS holder shouldn’t assume the same scope because the bilateral graduate clause is written around employment, so a business residence route may be required.

What salary do I need to stay in France after graduation?

As of 11 August 2026, qualifying RECE employment must pay more than EUR 2,800.53 gross a month. Qualified-employee Talent uses EUR 39,582 gross a year, while the EU Blue Card uses EUR 59,373. These figures answer different route tests and must be rechecked for a 2027 filing.

Do I need a talent passport after graduating in France?

No. Current official wording calls it carte talent, and it is only one option. A graduate may use direct salarié or travailleur temporaire status if its conditions are met. Qualified Talent removes separate employer work authorisation, but it adds a French-qualification test and a higher annual salary threshold.

Can I apply for post-study status after returning to India?

Ordinary French law allows an eligible French graduate to seek a RECE VLS-TS within four years of the diploma. India-specific official pages combine this return rule with bilateral APS features, so they are not fully aligned. The personalised France-Visas route should decide the real application from India.