From Student Mobility to Labor Immigration: Professional Trajectories and "Paper Careers" of Moroccan Graduates in France

Abstract

From the application for a long-stay student visa to the submission of a legal status change request at the prefecture, this article traces the "paper careers" of Moroccan engineers and managers who graduated in France and chose to stay and work there. Despite holding advanced degrees and fitting the profiles sought after for so-called "shortage occupations" characterized by a lack of qualified labor, the professional integration of these highly skilled migrants into the French job market remains uncertain and far from guaranteed. Delays in obtaining residence permits or work authorizations often deprive them of opportunities matching their qualifications, keeping them in precarious employment situations. These administrative obstacles hinder their labor market integration, limit their mobility, and restrict their ability to advance into skilled jobs.