China to introduce new 'talent visa' to attract foreigners

China plans to introduce a new visa regime titled "talent introduction" in an effort to attract more skilled professionals from abroad.

A draft law in this regard has been submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for its second reading.

Ordinary visas will be granted to foreigners who enter the country to work, study, visit relatives, travel or conduct business and to those who qualify for the talent introduction category, the draft said.

Yin Weimin, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, said last month that China will make greater efforts to resolve issues related to overseas talents' visas and residency permits this year.

China will bolster favourable treatment for them with advantageous policies in social insurance, taxation, medical services, their children's education and academic funding, among other areas, said the minister.

China has increased the age limit of foreigners seeking jobs in capital Beijing from 55 to 65 years.

The Beijing municipal government has relaxed the age limit for candidates applying to a scheme designed to recruit senior foreign experts to work in science and technology in China.

People applying for the "1,000 Foreign Experts" programme can now be up to 65 years old, rather than the previous age limit of 55.

"We used to require that all applicants be under 55. Considering the reality of foreign experts, however, we have loosened the limit on age and extended that to 65 years old," an official said last month.

Beijing's 1,000 foreign experts is part of the nation's Recruitment Program of Global Experts, initiated in 2008 to attract overseas experts in various industries to help boost the country's scientific and technical innovation.

Notably excluding social science fields, it was so called because it bids to recruit 500 to 1,000 foreign experts within five to 10 years.

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