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I'm an American with dual citizenship with an EU country. I'm in the process of applying for my first job in France (my French is pretty good, but it's obvious I'm not native - plus I have an American name and all previous jobs were in the USA), and I don't want my job application to get passed over because employers assume they will have to sponsor a visa/work permit.

Should I mention something about having EU nationality on my LinkedIn/CV/cover letters? If so, how?

Edit: Unique parts of this question are that I'm applying in the French/EU job market (so I'm not sure if it's advisable/legal to put 'EU National' on my application, nor how, or if there is another common practice here that's relevant).

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    Possible duplicate of How do I indicate I'm not a foreign national on my resume? – scaaahu Nov 25 '17 at 15:26
  • @scaaahu The specifics of what you can or should put in your CV about ability to work in a country is region-specific. The linked question is about working in the US. This is about working in Europe. I would say they are related but not duplicates. – Eric Nov 25 '17 at 15:39
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In France, generally you do not state your age, nationality, or civil status in the CV. However, you are an exception to the rule, such as other EU nationals that need a "habilitation de sécurité", which means being eligible to a French security clearance.

What I would recommend, if you do not need a security clearance for the job, is to add to the header of your CV something as such: "eligible to work in Europe". I would not plainly state your nationality, because it may cause you problems with some recruiters.

If in the offer they do say you need a security clearance, then I would add your nationality. You may still be rejected if you are not French, but some other nationalities do have advantages.

Remember that in France, it is generally a good idea to add a photo to your CV. If you are not very experienced, refrain from exceeding one page.

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  • I think Dual Nationals might have difficulty in getting a security clearance which the OP doesn't mention – Neuromancer Nov 25 '17 at 22:39
  • I was told that as single national (but the wrong one) I would have no problems in the UK getting a security clearance, except the duration of the clearance would be less. Probably depends on how hard/easy it is to get relevant information from the other country. – gnasher729 Nov 25 '17 at 22:59
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    @Neuromancer It may happen when the second nationality is from a state where the French government does not have intelligence exchange agreements. I have seem some French-Algerians that had problems obtaining a security clearance. As it is not a restriction by law and they happen on a case by case basis, it is difficult to add to the answer. – Adam Smith Nov 26 '17 at 1:46

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