RELO NEWS
The State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs of China has released policy guidelines for the Unified Work Authorization Application.
The Unified Work authorization Application has been designed to attract highly-skilled foreign nationals, streamline the application process, increase transparency and improve data sharing schemes. Further implementation details for the three different categories of foreign applicants are expected to be released in the near future.
A unified work authorization application policy will be piloted in Anhui, Beijing, Guangdong, Hebei, Shandong, Shanghai, Sichuan and Tianjin Provinces and the Ning Xia Hui autonomous region starting October 2016, and will be applied nationwide after April 2017. The new system should streamline and simplify the work permit application process.
Currently, there are two separate application systems: the Foreign Expert Certificate application, handled by the Foreign Expert Bureau, and the Alien Work Permit application, handled by the Labor Bureau.
New immigration policies that will be piloted starting March 1, 2016 should make it easier for four main categories of foreign nationals to obtain Permanent Residence status and should simplify various application procedures, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Public Security. There are also plans to extend the visa-free policy from 72 hours to 144 hours.
