Reception of international researchers and doctoral students

The EURAXESS portal can provide international researchers and host laboratories with a wealth of information on :

• scientific employment, consulting or submitting offers, submitting CVs through EURAXESS jobs,
• career development in research with the ' toolNo limits'
• the Euraxess centres other countries that can accompany them on international mobility
• the European charter with the rights and duties of researchers and the code of conduct for the recruitment of researchers
• Partnership opportunities with companies, universities and research organisations around the world through the Euraxess database

The Contact Point facilitates the installation of foreign doctoral students and researchers, in particular the obtaining of visas and/or residence permits. It has privileged links with the Prefecture of Vaucluse (Avignon). You can contact the Contact Point at any time, in French or in English, by writing to euraxess@univ-avignon.fr

Entry and residence formalities in France

If you are not a national of an EU country, you will in most cases need a visa to come and work in France.

The type of visa depends on the length of your stay (less or more than 90 days), the reason for your stay and your status.

To find out what type of visa you need and to start the application process, please visit the official website for visas to France. You can also find information on the website of the French Office of Immigration and Integration and the Ministry of the Interior.

If you have any difficulty in identifying the type of visa suitable for your situation, contact euraxess@univ-avignon.fr

A host agreement will be necessary for salaried doctoral students or non-European foreign researchers requiring a visa or residence permit to stay in France for professional purposes. It is part of the compulsory documents to be provided to the consulate. Students or trainees are not concerned by this procedure.

This agreement is established by the University, please contact your laboratory to obtain it.

Please note that if you reside in France and change your status, you must also take the necessary steps with the Prefecture of your department of residence and apply for a "talent passport" residence permit. A hosting agreement will also be required.

Accommodation in Avignon

The university's laboratories are located on two campuses: the Hannah Arendt Campus in the city centre, and the Jean-Henri Fabre Campus in the Agroparc district (15 minutes from the city centre by car or bus). For stays of a few days/months, we recommend the following residences:

• City centre: Residence Les Cordeliers (site available in English) : https://www.cordeliers-avignon.com/fr/
• Agroparc : Campus Del Sol 

For longer stays (several months/years), it is advisable to look for private rental accommodation. For more information, see https://www.euraxess.fr/fr/node/224022/logement

Civil liability insurance should be obtained from an insurer.

Health

If you do not have a French employment contract, you are not eligible for the basic social security system.

If you are not covered in France by the insurance organisation of your country of origin (in the case of secondment, for example, bilateral agreements between the social security funds of different countries exist which allow you to be affiliated to the CPAM), you have several options:

• Take out private insurance in your home country to cover all health expenses for you and your family for the duration of your stay in France;
• Take out private insurance in France.

For long stays, you can join the CPAM on the basis of residence by completing the form application for affiliation to the general scheme and gathering the required documents.

This is only possible after three months of residence in France, so you will need to take out insurance for the first four months.

• You can contact partner insurance companies at national level AXA via the Fnak website or ACS AMI who have developed packages for researchers,
• If you are a doctoral student and you are over 28 years old, you will not be able to benefit from the student mutual insurance. You can join the CPAM on the basis of residence.

The Euraxess Local Contact Point is your point of contact for the reception of doctoral students and researchers, international or not.
This section will give you more information on the conditions of stay for your international guests.

The researcher or doctoral student lives outside the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation

Every scientist must have the right to stay and work in France.

In order to apply for a visa from the French Consulate in their country of residence, the researcher or doctoral student must provide proof of a hosting agreement which allows scientists to benefit from the "Talent - Researcher Passport" visa. It will only be necessary for salaried doctoral students or non-European researchers requiring a visa or residence permit to stay in France for professional purposes. It is part of the mandatory documents to be provided to the consulate. Master students and trainees are not concerned by this procedure.

As soon as the dates of the stay in France are known, the person responsible for hosting the student (thesis director, person who issued the invitation, laboratory director, etc.) or the laboratory manager sends a request for a hosting agreement to the Direction d'Appui à la Recherche et à l'Innovation (DARI), which will complete and have the host agreement signed by the President of the university and then send it to the guest.

The convention is not signed only by the researcher or doctoral student and the President of the University. An exception is made for researchers or doctoral students of Algerian nationality, the Prefecture must also sign their agreement.

For staff recruited (post-doctoral students, salaried researchers, CIFRE doctoral students or those on a doctoral contract), the Human Resources Department sends the information necessary to prepare a hosting agreement to the Research and Innovation Support Department (DARI).

For invited persons, the laboratory must send a letter of invitation indicating the dates and the reason for the stay as well as the source of funding if any (grant from the country of origin, mobility grant from the university, mobility within the framework of a European project etc.).

The hosting agreement commits the institution to ensuring that :

• The guest has the necessary resources to cover the costs of his/her stay in France and its repatriation to its country of origin

• The guest is covered by health insurance for the duration of their stay and a accident coverage which may arise in the course of his or her research or teaching work at the university

The researcher or doctoral student resides in France

Change of status

If the researcher or doctoral student already has a valid residence permit but their status changes, they must change their residence permit. For example, a Master 2 student who has a student residence permit that does not authorise him/her to work full time and who is pursuing a doctorate recruited by Avignon University must change his/her student permit to a Passeport Talent - chercheur residence permit.

For this, a hosting agreement is required. The procedure for drawing up the agreement is the same as for researchers or doctoral students residing abroad.

The applicant will receive a receipt valid for 3 months and will be informed directly in writing when the residence permit is ready.

Renewal of the residence permit

The researcher or doctoral student who holds a Passport Talent - Researcher residence permit that has expired must apply for renewal 2 months before the expiry date at the Prefecture or Sub-Prefecture of his/her department of residence.

If their hosting agreement is still valid, they should attach it to their application. If it has expired, the University must reissue a hosting agreement and a certificate supporting the application.

The applicant will receive a receipt valid for 3 months and will be informed directly in writing when the residence permit is ready. The residence permit may be issued for a period not exceeding 3 years.

Are you planning to join us? To facilitate your arrival in Avignon, we have published a bilingual French-English guide which will give you all the keys to prepare your stay.

It has four main themes:

• Preparing to come
  Procedures, coming with your family, learning French

• Moving to Avignon
  Residence permit, housing, energy, bank account, taxes, insurance, health...
• Staying in Avignon
  Climate, work pace, culture, tourism, sport, gastronomy...
• Finding your way
  Transport, maps of Avignon and university campuses

 

>> Let us guide you!