- If you are working in France and loose your job
If you become unemployed in France, you should immediately notify the authorities. First, register at the Pôle Emploi, the French unemployment agency. You can do it by phoning at the 39 49 (national number). You will receive an invitation to meet an Pôle Emploi advisor within one month. The meeting with a counsellor is compulsory to be officially registered as unemployed. Once you are registered you can receive an unemployment allowance based on the following conditions:
- You have not become unemployed through your own decision - You have made at least 6 months of social security contributions in France during the previous 22 months - You are less than 60 years old - You are physically capable of working The allowance is paid for 7 months (if you worked at least 6 months over the last 22 months) or for 22 months (if you have worked at least 14 months over the last 2 years). The monthly allowance usually starts at 50% of previous salary and decreases over time. To receive it, you need to be actively looking for work and may be asked to provide proof of this. For example if you miss an appointment with your Pôle Emploi advisor, you may stop receive your allowance.
If you did not register as a job seeker, you will not receive benefits from the Pôle Emploi. However, if you are leaving for another EU country, think about asking the form E301 before leaving: you may be entitled to benefits in your new country that take into account the time worked previously in France.
If you are coming from another country to search for a job in France, you might be able to receive unemployment benefits. This depends on your personal situation: - You have worked in a EU country but have not received any unemployment benefit there. Get a form E301 before coming to France. The form lists the periods which will be considered for calculating unemployment benefit if you are unemployed in France. Therefore you have to work at least one day in France to entitle you to take into account a period of employment in another EU country. - You have received unemployment benefit in a EU country. If you have been registered as a job-seeker in a EU country for at least 4 weeks before coming to France, ask for the form E303 from the organization paying your benefit and cancel your registration there. Then you must register in France as a job seeker, at the Pôle Emploi of your place of residence, within 7 days of this cancellation. You should then receive benefit in France, for a maximum of 3 months. Your application can take some time, so ensure you have enough money to cover your living expenses. - You have resigned from your job in a EU country because your spouse has found job in France. This resignation should be considered as a legitimate cause of unemployment. Therefore you will be entitled to receive unemployment benefit, provided that your previous contributions are sufficient. Ask for the form E301 before leaving your EU country. Sources: CIDJ and Justlanded.com
