Hi all,
I’m in the process of asking my local Euraxess Center but I thought I would see if by chance any of you all might have some experience or insight into my particular question.
I’m an American who has been living/working in Marseille since 2022. I’m currently on my second job contract (CDD) which my current titre de séjour (motif: chercheur; carte de séjour pluriannuelle) is tied to. Both are up October 31 of this year.
I’m in the negotiating stages for a subsequent CDD contract. In an ideal world, this position would have a start date of January or February 2026. Briefly: the new employer had already budgeted the position for 2026; and I am currently on an arrêt de travail for some serious health issues and extra months between November and the new job start date would be really valuable for helping me recover from my treatment (which continues into that period of time).
Now, my understanding is that as an American, I can stay in France for up to 6 months without a visa. However, I am currently relying on the French sécurité sociale for my health care and it’s extremely important I don’t lose access to this. Also (this is a secondary concern), applying for chômage would be helpful because of the lack of income.
Does anyone know how this could work? Could I apply for a visa with a start date earlier than my contract starts? Is there another category of visa that I could apply for?
Thanks very much for any insight or suggestions, no matter how small. I realize that this is a rather technical and convoluted question.