Beijing Review – August 15, 2019

28 BEIJING REVIEW AUGUST 15, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com

M

uddassar Sharif, a Pakistani living in
Shanghai, is an ardent entrepreneur.
He started nine businesses during
his four-year undergraduate studies at New
York University Shanghai. After some failures
and many lessons learnt, he finally estab-
OLVKHGDQDUWLĶFLDOLQWHOOLJHQFH$,FRPSDQ\
that seems to be on the right track.
After graduating in May, Sharif decided to
stay in Shanghai for further business devel-
opment. Along with the extremely promising
AI market in China, another important in-
centive that prompted his decision was the
entrepreneur visa that Shanghai introduced
last year for foreigners who launch startups
in the city.
This visa measure is not new in China
and has been adopted in quite a few cities
including Shenyang, capital city of the north-
HDVWHUQSURYLQFHRI/LDRQLQJDQG1DQMLQJ
capital city of Jiangsu Province in the east.
What is new are 12 measures announced
by the National Immigration Administration
(NIA) on July 17, to ease restrictions on
visa and permanent residence applications
nationwide, which cover groups of foreign
experts, scholars, students and entrepre-
neurs. They went into effect on August 1.

Easier and more convenient

In the past, it was not easy for foreigners
without work experience or a Chinese work
permit to get a regular visa for working in
China, and even a work visa was valid for only
one or two years at most.
According to the new measures, foreign
graduates from China’s prestigious higher
learning institutions who start businesses
in the country can get an entrepreneur visa
YDOLGIRUPXOWLSOHHQWULHVIRUWZRWRĶYH\HDUV
In addition, foreign graduates from
world-renowned universities in other coun-
tries who come to China to start businesses
within two years after graduation can apply
for a visa for less than two years. Foreign

students who are invited to do internships

in China by noted enterprises or institutions

can also apply for a one-year visa.

Meanwhile, the permanent residence ap-

plication process was streamlined for more

high-caliber foreign professionals, including

holders of doctoral degrees and those who

have made significant contributions to the

country.

Foreign spouses and children of quali-

ILHGIRUHLJQHUVFDQDOVRMRLQWKHDSSOLFDWLRQ

simultaneously, according to the Ministry of

Public Security (MPS).

-LD7RQJELQDVHQLRURIĶFLDOZLWKWKH1,$

said the policy package is aimed at drawing

management and technology specialists

from overseas who are in urgent need in

China.

“The policies are expected to encourage

foreigners who work in China to make the

most of their talent and attract more out-

standing foreign youth to China,” Jia said.

Constant reforms

China launched the permanent residence

program for foreigners in 2004. Joan Hinton,

a nuclear physicist and one of the few

women who worked on the U.S. Manhattan

3URMHFWWRGHYHORSDQDWRPLFERPEZDVWKH

ĶUVWIRUHLJQHUWRUHFHLYH&KLQDoVSHUPDQHQW

residence permit (green card). She moved

to China in 1948 and lived there for over 50

years, dedicating herself to the improvement

of agricultural machinery and the dairy in-

GXVWU\,QVKHGLHGLQ%HLMLQJ

But by 2007, only about 10,000 foreign-

ers had been granted residency due to its

Easing the Way

Authorities gear up to streamline the visa and permanent residence

application process for foreigners By Yuan Yuan

An international passenger goes through border control at an airport in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province,

on January 1, the day when the city started a 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign passport holders

XIN

HU

A

NATION