Hire Workers in France from South Asia
Vetted workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan placed with French employers on the autorisation de travail route — with the shortage-occupation exemption used where the role genuinely qualifies for it.
- One documented route, start to finish
We file what the préfecture actually asks for, and say so when a role does not qualify.
What You Need to Hire Workers in France
Hiring a non-EU worker in France runs through the employer, not the worker. You apply for an autorisation de travail on the ANEF platform before any visa exists. Once it is granted, the worker applies at the French consulate for a long-stay visa that doubles as a residence permit — the VLS-TS salarié for an open-ended contract, or travailleur temporaire for a fixed term.
The step that decides your timeline is the labour market test, known in France as the opposabilité de la situation de l’emploi. Normally you must show the post was advertised and no suitable candidate came forward. If the job sits on the shortage-occupation list — the métiers en tension, which was substantially widened in 2025 — that test is waived and the file moves faster.
Whether your role is on that list is not a general fact about France. It is decided by the ROME code of the job and by the region of the worksite, and the list is revised. We check your specific role against the list in force for your region before we quote you a timeline, rather than after.
Who We Are
Hire Across Euro is an independent international recruitment consultancy with an active sourcing network across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The founder runs every engagement personally, so a French employer deals with the person accountable for the file rather than an account manager relaying messages.
What We Handle for French Employers
Sourcing and Vetting
We shortlist workers whose training documents and work history stand up to consular scrutiny. Every file is checked for document completeness and practical competence before it reaches you.
- Document verification
- Trade competence check
Autorisation de Travail
We assemble the ANEF filing, including the evidence the labour authority expects on the post, the pay and the recruitment effort — or the shortage-occupation grounds where those apply.
- ANEF file assembly
- Shortage-list eligibility check
Visa and Consular Support
We support the VLS-TS application from filing through to entry, including the employer-side paperwork and the formalities that follow arrival in France.
Site Onboarding
Workers are briefed on French working-time rules, site safety expectations and the practical business of living in France before they travel.
Sectors Where We Hire Workers in France
Four areas where French employer demand is persistent and the paperwork is worth running.
Construction and BTP
Masons, formwork carpenters, steel fixers and site technicians for contractors and civil works.
Hospitality and Restauration
Commis and line chefs, kitchen porters, housekeeping and front-of-house for hotels and groups.
Agriculture and Viticulture
Field, orchard and vineyard workers for seasonal peaks, and year-round livestock and glasshouse staff.
Logistics and Warehousing
Pickers, packers, forklift operators and warehouse operatives for distribution and third-party logistics.
The French Route at a Glance
The essentials employers ask for on the first call, in one place.
| Permit | Autorisation de travail, applied for by the employer on the ANEF platform |
|---|---|
| Then | VLS-TS salarié long-stay visa acting as a residence permit, or travailleur temporaire on a fixed term |
| Who applies | The employer, before the worker can apply for anything |
| Labour market test | Applies by default; waived where the role is on the métiers en tension shortage list for that region |
| Pay floor | The applicable convention collective, with the SMIC as an absolute minimum |
| Plan ahead | A quarter before your target start date, as a working rule |
How to Hire Workers in France from India, Nepal and Bangladesh
French employers who set out to hire workers in France from South Asia usually arrive with one of two wrong assumptions: either that it is impossible, or that it is a formality. Neither is true. There is a working legal route, it is employer-led, and it rewards employers who start it early.
The mechanics are these. You secure an autorisation de travail before the worker applies for anything. The application is judged on the post, the pay and the conditions offered, and on whether the French labour market could have supplied the person. That last question is where the shortage-occupation list matters, because a listed role is exempt from having to answer it. Construction, hospitality, agriculture and parts of logistics and transport are where French shortages have been most persistent, and they are the areas where our files most often clear.
Pay and conditions are not a negotiable part of the application. A French work authorisation requires the post to be offered on the terms a French worker in that post would receive, which means the applicable convention collective, the SMIC as a floor, and genuine accommodation arrangements where you are providing them. An employer trying to price a South Asian hire below the local rate does not have a cheaper file; they have a refused one.
Treat this as a planned sourcing channel rather than an emergency one. Employers who open the conversation a quarter ahead of the start date get people on site. You can see the roles we are currently placing on our live vacancies board, our position on fees and worker treatment is set out in ethical recruitment compliant with EU labour law, and employers weighing France against neighbouring markets often also look at hiring workers in Belgium or Spain.
How the Process Works
Six steps from the first requirement call to workers on site in France.
Requirement Call
We go through headcount, roles, worksite location, contract length and the start date you are working back from.
Shortlist
We present vetted workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh or Pakistan with their training and work-history evidence attached.
Permit Filing
We file the autorisation de travail on ANEF and track it through to the labour authority’s decision.
Visa Application
We prepare the consular file and the employer-side documents your HR team is asked to produce, and track it to decision.
Arrival
We coordinate travel and the first days in France, including registration and the practical basics.
Onboarding
We support induction at the worksite and stay reachable through the first weeks of the placement.
Quick Answers
What is an autorisation de travail?
It is the French work authorisation an employer must obtain before a non-EU national can be hired, applied for on the ANEF platform and granted for a named post. Nothing else in the process can begin until it exists. It is assessed on the job itself, the pay and conditions offered, and whether the French labour market could have supplied the person.
Why does the métiers en tension list matter?
Because a role on that shortage list is exempt from the labour market test, which removes the slowest and least predictable stage of the file. The list is set by ROME code and by region, and it is revised, so a role that qualifies in one region may not qualify in another. We check it for your worksite before quoting a timeline.
How long does it take to hire workers in France?
Budget a quarter from the first requirement call to a worker starting on site. The authorisation and the consular appointment each consume real weeks and neither can be accelerated by paying more, so the employers who succeed here are the ones who start a season ahead rather than a fortnight ahead.
Official Sources and Further Reading
We work from the bodies that actually administer the route. Check them yourself before committing to a start date, because shortage lists and thresholds are revised.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we have to advertise the job in France before hiring from outside the EU?
Usually yes — that is the opposabilité de la situation de l’emploi. The exception is a role on the métiers en tension list for your region, which is exempt from the test. We check your specific ROME code against the list in force before quoting a timeline.
Who applies for the French work authorisation, us or the worker?
You do. The autorisation de travail is an employer application made on the ANEF platform, and it has to be granted before the worker can apply for a visa. We assemble and file it, but it is issued in your name as employer.
Can we pay a South Asian worker less than the French rate for the job?
No, and attempting it is the fastest way to lose the file. The post must be offered on the terms a French worker would receive under the applicable convention collective, with the SMIC as an absolute floor.
Which sectors do you place into most often in France?
Construction, hospitality and restauration, agriculture and viticulture, and warehousing and logistics. Those are where French shortages have been most persistent and where the shortage-occupation exemption most often applies.
How far ahead of our start date should we contact you?
A quarter, as a working rule. The work authorisation and the consular stage each take real time, and neither can be compressed by paying more. We will tell you honestly on the first call whether your date is achievable.
How much does it cost to hire workers in France from South Asia?
Costs sit in three places and we quote all three before you commit: our recruitment fee, the state charges attached to the work authorisation, and your own relocation and accommodation commitments. What you cannot do is save money by offering below the collective agreement rate, because the authorisation is assessed against those terms and an underpaid offer is a refused file rather than a cheaper one.
Can an agency place unskilled South Asian labourers in France without a permit?
No, and this is the most expensive mistake an employer can make in this market. There is no lawful route for a non-EU national to work in France without an authorisation obtained before arrival. Arrangements built on tourist entry or a promise to regularise afterwards leave you employing someone unlawfully. If a proposal cannot name the permit category, treat that as the answer.
Request Workers for France
Tell us the roles, the headcount and the date you are working back from. A consultant replies within one business day with the route that is legally open and what it will take.
Talk to Us
If your sites in France need workers from India, Nepal or Bangladesh, send us the requirement and a consultant replies within one business day with the realistic route, the timeline and a quote.