An enhanced magnet for top minds

International students can now apply for a two-year personal affair permit to find jobs or start up businesses in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone following their graduation.

This new policy is one of the highlights of the 30 measures recently introduced by the government to attract more talent to help accelerate Shanghai's transformation into a scientific and technological innovation hub.

Foreign-invested companies, regional headquarters and research and design centers of global companies registered in these two zones can also recruit new graduates from world-class universities.

"The local employers will have more choices and fewer boundaries when it comes to selecting suitable talents, especially international or overseas students who could add value and creativity," said Jan Anne Schelling, vice president of human resources at Dutch material science company DSM China.

In July 2015, 20 measures, including 12 by the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau of Shanghai Public Security Bureau, were unveiled to provide more convenience to high-level talents. Some of the measures include relaxing the requirements for permanent residence permits and extending the duration of the overseas talent residence permit to 10 years.

"From the previous 20 points to the current 30, all these measures have the core objective of forming a conducive environment for talents to grow and explore their abilities so that this city can become a cluster of global innovative talents by 2020," said Chen Hao, deputy director of the municipal government's organization department.

In addition, staff members of foreign high-level talent work teams can now directly apply for permanent residence permits. These individuals are defined as those who work in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone or Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone and satisfy certain requirements stipulated by their respective administration offices.

A trial program for the issuance of a single and unified work permit for highly skilled expats - it will replace the current two certificates issued from different government entities - will begin in October.

Talents who already live and work in the city stand to enjoy even more benefits thanks to the enhanced measures.

For example, permanent residence permit holders can now directly obtain the overseas talent residence permit which allows them to avoid paying property tax if the property they purchased is their sole residence in the city.

"I will be eligible to apply for a permanent residence after working in the company for three years with the recommendation from the employer, and I will try to live and work as a local resident to settle my own property and family here," said 27-year-old Albert Saputra.

The Indonesian, who works at the Shanghai office of Nexans, a French cable manufacturer located in the FTZ, was the first foreign student to receive a three-year work permit last August following the implementation of the new policies.

According to the authorities, the loosened visa policies have managed to help the city achieve its goal of attracting more talent. The relaxed requirements for permanent residency attracted 503 high-level expats and their relatives to file their applications by the first half of this year, eight times more than when the 20-point measure was introduced.

In addition, a total of 96 high-level foreign talents managed to obtain their five-year work permits while 39 university graduates received work permits to start up their businesses in the city.

"We will continue to enhance the policies in order to gather more high-level talents from all over the world as well as improve the benefits for existing permanent residence holders," said Chen.

yuran@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 10/07/2016 page7)