China is relaxing its visa rules for foreign workers in a bid to attract global talent to rev up its growth. According to Caixin, a new pilot program unveiled by the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday allows anyone who has been employed in China for at least two consecutive years to apply for a five-year work permit. Earlier, most foreign employees had to apply for a new work permit every year, even when hired on multiyear contracts. The trial program is expected to be rolled out in coming months in “demonstration zones for innovative reform” in a total of nine cities and province-level governments, including Beijing, Wuhan and Hebei province, and 11 free-trade zones. The move comes as business leaders urged Beijing to make it easier for them to hire top global talent that might be put off by US immigration policies.
Categories