China Regulatory Brief: Simplified Procedures for Work Visa Applications

July 6, 2015 Posted by China Briefing Reading Time: 4 minutes

China Grants Foreign Talents Permanent Residence Permit

On July 1, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau Entry & Exit Department released a new regulation, relaxing the requirements for eligible foreign talents to obtain permanent residence permits. These individuals need to meet the following criteria:

Yearly income of over RMB 600,000 (US$97,000)
Yearly income tax of over RMB 120,000
Have worked in Shanghai for more than four consecutive years, and spent no less than six months of each of the four years in China

Besides, foreigners employed by any of the 3,500 firms listed on the official website of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission will also be allowed to apply for the permanent residence permit. Previously, only foreigners hired as senior executives in high-tech industries and professors at academic institutions were eligible to apply for a permanent residence permit in China. Furthermore, foreign students who have graduated from Chinese universities may apply for a private affair’s residence permit with “entrepreneurship” for two years.

Shenzhen Cancels Company’s Name Pre-approval

The Shenzhen government has recently announced that starting July 1, companies registered in Shenzhen will no longer need to obtain the company’s name pre-approval before business registration. Applicants may log in to the Shenzhen Market and Quality Supervision Commission website and submit the proposed name directly to the business registration authority online.

A company’s name approval is the first step in establishing a company in China. The initial application for name pre-approval should contain at least three proposed names (including a preferred one) in compliance with “Measures for Implementing the Administration of Enterprise Name Registration” effective from June, 2004. If the first proposed name has already been registered by another company, then officials will approve one of the other proposed names.

Foreigners allowed to Apply for Work Visa at Shanghai Ports

Starting July 1, foreigners working in 15 qualified companies approved by the Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration Bureau are allowed to apply for a work visa directly at the Shanghai ports of entry. Eligible foreigners may apply for relevant visa at Hongqiao (Terminal 1) and Pudong airports (Terminals 1 and 2). The visa procedure will be completed within two hours. Enterprises located in the expanded area of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (i.e., Lujiazui financial district, Jinqiao development zone and Zhangjiang hi-tech park) will be gradually allowed to file with the exit/entry bureau first and apply for their employees’ visa via the online platform in advance.

Shanghai FTZ Establishes Six Overseas Offices

On July 2, the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) announced that it has established six overseas offices in cities including Los Angeles, London, Frankfurt, Gothenburg (Sweden), Osaka and Tokyo. The overseas offices are expected to promote foreign investment and will provide services directly to foreign investors looking to expand their business into the FTZ. As of September 2014, 1677 foreign companies had already been established in the FTZ, accounting for 13.7 percent of the total number of enterprises in the zone.

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