File photo:Xinhua

Shanghai continues to attract global talent and a new series of preferential policies were released on Monday, including eased restrictions on age, educational background and work experience.

Shanghai will include more foreign professionals in the category of high-end talent, according to a notice the local government published on Monday. 

For instance, foreign members of scientific research teams and PhD graduates majoring in key disciplines such as science, engineering, agriculture and medicine will be able to enjoy a simplified application process for the foreign talent visa (R Visa), which allows them to stay in China for up to 10 years, read the notice.

Also, instead of providing evidence of not having a criminal record, foreign high-end talent applicants (Category A) hired by Chinese employers can simply promise to have "no criminal record" on their [visa] application forms, the notice said.

Category A talent refers to scientists, top technological talent and international entrepreneurs that are needed by the market and whose achievements will contribute to China's economic and social development.

The city eased age restrictions as well, raising the maximum age of visa applicants with skills that Shanghai needs from 60 to 70. The work visas will be valid for longer than two years, the notice said.

There are more than 215,000 foreigners working in Shanghai, ranking top among all Chinese mainland cities. The city is home to 23.7 percent of all foreign employees in the mainland, the local foreign expert affairs department told the media on Monday.

The city issued more than 270,000 work permits for foreigners by the end of February 2021, of which nearly 50,000, or 18 percent, were for high-end foreign talent (Category A), according to the department.

Global Times