Head of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs Zhang Jianguo said he will work to resolve the issue this year in order to attract foreign talent. However, if you’re wondering how you can get one of these extended visas, Zhang made it very clear as to what type of foreigner China is specifically looking for.

“Many foreign experts wrote me e-mails to complain about the visa problem,” said Zhang. “Most of them are high-end talented people. Some are even Nobel Prize winners. Currently, they can get only one-year or two-year multiple-entry permits, which are not very convenient for them.”

Zhang then notes that other countries are more accommodating to Chinese citizens, even if they aren’t Nobel Prize winners. “For example, many Chinese business people or even students can apply for 10-year multiple-entry permits in the United States. I think … we should ensure that top overseas talented people who want to come and work in China can enjoy the same convenience.”

Zhang’s sentiments are backed by a government plan that will attract high-caliber overseas talent to China.

According to a draft of the 13th Five-Year Plan, China is looking to introduce many types of overseas talent to its workforce. However, they’re not looking for anymore English teachers. Rather, China wants to attract scientists in strategic sectors as well as innovators in “breakthrough techniques” and can help develop high-tech industries.

Zhang said the plan will establish a recruitment mechanism for foreign talent as well as draft regulations on how to guide them through national science and technology programs. Zhang also made it clear that the needs of foreign talent will be looked after should they make the move to China.

“What if they get ill in China? How can the expenses in a Chinese hospital be covered by insurance in China or their commercial insurance bought overseas?” asked Zhang. “I know there are very few hospitals that could connect with overseas insurance companies. And this needs policy support from government agencies such as us.”

China currently has agreements with Canada and the USA to allow their citizens to have ten-year visas that allow entry to each other’s country.

For years, China has been trying to roll out visa reforms so as to attract talent from overseas. Back in January, the Ministry of Public Security announced a pilot project granting preferential policies to attract high-end foreign talent that will boost scientific and technological innovation in Beijing’s newly re-tooled Zhongguancun National Demonstration Zone.

Related:

• Getting a Chinese Green Card Will Now Be Easier Than Ever
• It’s Now Easier for Beijing Expats to Get Residence Permits
• Certain Shanghai Expats Now Qualify for Residence Permits After Just 4 Years
• Attention, Foreigners: Chinese are Being Paid to Rat Out Laowai With Visa Violations

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To take advantage of the news, applicants can visit the official website of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau at www.bjgaj.gov.cn. From the website’s homepage you then click on “Exit Entry Administration Service Hall” (出入境管理办事大厅), and then click on the “Foreigner Visa” form (外国人签证证件办理).

It is expected that the new website feature will dramatically cut wait times. Foreign visa applicants will also be able to read about mandatory visa prerequisites, and reserve an appointment for the visa application.

Applicants are reminded to be sure a barcode is included as part of their printed application beforehand. Additionally, applicants must bring the requisite certification when applying in person as well as any valid Chinese residency registration.

The Exit Entry Administration Service Hall is located at #2 Andingmen Blvd in Dongcheng District, Beijing.

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The announcement, which was issued by the Shenzhen Airport Group, is expected in the first half of this year and will allow visitors to stay in Shenzhen without a visa for three days provided they have valid travel documents and booked tickets to another destination. While the 24-hour visa-free transit policy has no country restrictions, only 51 countries can apply for the new 72-hour visa. There are also plans to introduce tax refund services at the airport for foreigners, and residents of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao.

The 72-hour visa-free transit policy was first implemented in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in 2013. The policy currently covers 18 Chinese cities, adding Changsha and Qingdao last November.

Shanghai recently announced a six day (144-hour) visa-free transit policy that allows international tourists to travel within the Yangtze River Delta area (including Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces) without the need of a travel visa. Besides extending the stay up from 72-hours, international visitors will be allowed to enter the country through ports and railways besides airports. The six day visa is also only available to passport holders of 51 countries.

In 1994, Shenzhen became the first mainland city to introduce a 72-hour visa policy for foreigners via Hong Kong. Of the 40 million visitors arriving at Shenzhen Airport last year, 12 million stayed in the city for at least one night.

Earlier this month, China and the UK agreed to allow their citizens to visit each others’ countries under two-year multiple entry visas.

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To be eligible, passengers must possess valid international travel documents and booked tickets with confirmed dates and destinations.

A 72-hour visa-free policy has been in effect since 2013 for Shanghai and the capitals of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, Hangzhou and Nanjing. Under the new policy however, not only has the duration been extended, but international travelers will now be permitted to enter through ports and railway stations in addition to airports.

The Ministry of Public Security said foreigners can take advantage of the 144-hour visa scheme at Shanghai’s two airports (Pudong and Hongqiao), Hangzhou (Xiaoshan International Airport) and Nanjing (Lukou International Airport). They can stay in the city and the two provinces for six days without a visa, and can also leave the country from any of the aforementioned airports.

There is however one catch: the policy is only offered to 51 countries. They include: the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

Earlier this month, China and the UK agreed to allow their citizens to visit each others’ countries under two-year multiple entry visas.

Last November, Changsha and Qingdao both began offering a 72-hour visa-free transit policy for international visitors.

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Starting March 1, the project strategically targets high-end foreign professionals, including overseas Chinese who graduated from foreign universities and have started businesses in Beijing, foreign exchange students, and foreigners who work for entrepreneurial startups in the city.

One of the goals of the project is to provide a steady stream of foreign talent for scientific and technological innovation in Beijing’s newly re-tooled Zhongguancun National Demonstration Zone, said the Ministry’s Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration.

As part of the new policy, overseas Chinese in possession of a doctoral degree received abroad will be given permanent residency, no matter how long they stay in the capital. Additionally, foreigners who have worked at Zhongguancun companies for four years, staying at least six months per year, will be given the permit as well.

Other highlights of the program include allowing foreign students to have part-time jobs while starting their own businesses in Zhongguancun, allowing overseas university students to have short-term internships in Zhongguancun, and providing easier access to permanent residency for foreigners with doctoral degrees.

Wang Huiyao, president of the South China Global Talent Institute, explained the benefit of the policies: “The threshold will be lowered for overseas Chinese and high-end foreign talent, which is definitely a real benefit for them,” said Wang.

Meanwhile, policies designed to mold Shanghai into a global technological innovation center have resulted in the issuing of more visas and permits.

Since loosening visa policies in July of last year, 715 permanent resident permits have been issued in Shanghai, which is up 60 from the same time the year before.

One of the benefits to lowering the entry requirements for foreign experts in technology and innovation is that they will be eligible for permanent residency permits that are valid for up to 10 years, compared to the five years that was issued before.

High-level foreign talent with a permanent job in Shanghai can obtain a foreign expert permit that is valid for between two and five years. The procedure for obtaining that permit has been simplified, and the age restriction was lifted from 60 to 70 years. Expats can also apply for permanent residency on the recommendation of their companies after working in Shanghai for three years. Under the new policy, foreign talent employed in technology and innovation will be eligible for permanent residence permits valid for up to 10 years.

The post Beijing Woos Foreign Talent To Zhongguancun Tech Zone appeared first on The Nanfang.

The expat teachers were discovered earlier this month by Chinese authorities and arrested by police in Yangquan, Shanxi. A 59-year-old woman from the USA and a 25-year-old man from Pakistan were sent home from Shanghai Airport on August 15, according to a statement issued yesterday by police. They say the school that employed the two expats did not have the proper certification to hire foreign English teachers.

Without exception, every single English teacher working in China must have a work visa or risk penalties including deportation for violating Chinese regulations. Schools and training centers that illegally employ foreigners can face a fine of up to RMB 100,000. Foreigners caught teaching on a business visa face fines of up to RMB 10,000, along with possible detention and deportation.

In order to forgo a costly certification process that can take up to a year, some schools hire foreign English teachers under the table, falsely telling them they don’t require a work visa.

Harsher regulations have resulted in a decline in the number of available English teachers, raising demand throughout the country.

The post Pair of Foreign English Teachers Deported for Working Illegally appeared first on The Nanfang.

It’s getting a little easier for Beijing expats with new regulations that are to smooth the process towards getting a residence permit.

Starting last Saturday, waiting times for a resident permit in Beijing have been reduced from 15 days to ten, thereby reducing the time applicants have to part with their passports. Che Yan, director of the bureau’s Administration Department of the Exit-Entry Department of the municipal Public Security Bureau, said the improved service is due to more staff using better technology. All necessary material for a resident permit application will not change. Applicants are expected to provide the relevant passports, photographs, and forms, as well as fees, which remain the same.

But that’s not all. Although there’s always the option to renew applications annually in order to keep living in the city, some Beijing expats are now being offered the privilege of being awarded resident permits that would allow holders to live in the city from two to five years.

If that sounds really appealing, Beijing expats should know that Chinese authorities are only giving these out to a specific kind of expat. Liu Jiewei, a police officer responsible for handling foreigners’ visas, explained that these recent reforms are targeted towards foreigners holding positions ranked from vice-president and up in overseas investment enterprises, or who are technology experts with companies at Beijing’s Zhongguancun Science Park, or are members of either the government-backed 1,000 Talent Plan or the national Recruitment Program of Global Experts.

Aside from that, foreign experts can also apply for  a multiple-visit or talent visa that permits expats to reside in China for not more than 180 days on each visit, Liu said.

The reforms are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changes made to permanent resident permits, otherwise known as “green cards”, through which China has been looking to attract wealthy and highly-skilled foreigners.

Green card restrictions were again relaxed this past June, but only for expats of a certain caliber, allowing foreigners who are deputy professors, researchers or above and have worked for at least four years and lived in China for three years with good tax records to be eligible. As well, expats in Shanghai were allowed to apply for permanent residence permits after living in the city for just four years provided they are in a high tax bracket.

Held only by a small minority of the expat population, a Chinese green card gives foreigners the right to reside in China indefinitely. A green card holder will be able to enter and exit China with only a passport and the green card itself without ever needing to apply for a visa ever again. Furthermore, a Chinese green card  gives expats all the rights that Chinese citizens currently enjoy, allowing for home ownership and public school enrollment.

Related:

• China To Relax Immigration Restrictions to Lure Talented Foreigners
• It’s Now Easier Than Ever for Foreigners to Get a Chinese Green Card
• Getting a Chinese Green Card Will Now Be Easier Than Ever
• Certain Shanghai Expats Now Qualify for Residence Permits After Just 4 Years
• Foreigners Leaving En Masse? China Says It’s Not So

The post It’s Now Easier for Beijing Expats to Get Residence Permits appeared first on The Nanfang.

Zhejiang authorities are now offering cash to any Chinese people who rat out foreigners who are in the country on improper visas.

The new policy has already proved lucrative to a man named Lin, who recently reported a foreigner named “Mahadi” to the Sumeng police sub-station and received the cash award. When police investigated Lin’s tip, they discovered Mahadi lived and worked at the Erkin Board Factory, but had never registered his residence there to local authorities. As a result, Mahadi was given an administrative warning for the violation.

Even though he didn’t disclose how much he was paid, Lin encouraged all Chinese to report any suspicious foreigners that may be lurking about. “Pay attention to those foreigners around you. Use your head. You not only help the authorities find cases, but you can win an award for yourself!”

Several Chinese cities previously announced programs where citizens can win cash rewards for informing on possible terror suspects.

Beijing announced a crackdown on foreigners illegally living in the city last February.

Related:

• English Teacher in China Detained for Working Without a Permit
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The post Attention, Foreigners: Chinese are Being Paid to Rat Out Laowai With Visa Violations appeared first on The Nanfang.

The law, which comes into effect next month, requires successful applicants to live in China for at least six months each year, and be recommended by their employers. Those expats who work in high-tech, or possess specialized skill-sets, are permitted to apply after just three years.

The relaxed measures also permit graduating expat students of Chinese colleges to apply for two-year residence permits, provided they intend to stay and work in Shanghai.While the news will no doubt please a number of Shanghai expats fed up with visa hassles, there is one catch: The applicants’ annual income must meet a certain threshold. More problematic however, is that there has been a lack of transparency regarding just what that income threshold is, though early reports suggest they will naturally point to the higher end of the income spectrum.

And while the relaxed laws are focused on wealthy Shanghai expats that China has been desperately trying to attract and retain, the new laws also apply to their personal servants (on the off-chance you have some but weren’t sure if you could bring them along).

In 2013, just 1,886 of Shanghai’s 170,000 expat population were given permanent residency.

Related:

• Getting a Chinese Green Card Will Now Be Easier Than Ever
• Come to China, Get a Job, Work as a Government Bureaucrat
• Former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury Applies for Permanent Residency in China

The post Certain Shanghai Expats Now Qualify for Residence Permits After Just 4 Years appeared first on The Nanfang.

So it’s good news that the Chinese government has announced that it has lowered its threshold for green card applicants. That bad news, though, is that it’s still not likely that many people will meet the new standards.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, foreigners who are deputy professors, researchers or above and have worked for at
least four years and lived in China for three years with good tax records will be able to apply for permanent resident permits at the local entry and exit management department.

These people are in high demand at Chinese government-affiliated institutes including state laboratories and engineering research centres, as well as at key technology companies and foreign-funded research and development centers.

China hasn’t been shy in specifying what kind of foreigner it wants. The green card program that began in 2004 is exclusively designed to award permanent residency to high-end foreign experts and people with large investments or for outstanding contributions to the country.

Even though it’s trying to recruit people, the program hasn’t been very successful. According to an unnamed senior official at the ministry, the policy has far from filled the country’s need to attract more talented people from overseas. That’s why the standards have been constantly lowered in recent years.

Nevertheless,Green cards in China remain the “Holy Grail” for many expats.green cards in China remain the “Holy Grail” for many expats. In 2013, only 5,000 expats were able to obtain a green card in China out of a total 600,000 foreigners living here. But still, maybe you can get one. After all, Stephon Marbury isn’t a deputy professor, but he’s applying for permanent residency. Of course, he did just win the basketball championships for Beijing and has a statue dedicated to himself, so his application may be a bit more impressive than yours.

Related:

• Come to China, Get a Job, Work as a Government Bureaucrat
• Rich Chinese Applicants Fill US Visa Investment Quota in Only 4 Months
• Foreigners Leaving En Masse? China Says It’s Not So

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