New policy allows expats with PhDs working in Shanghai to apply for “green cards” IMMEDIATELY

Aside from its international business environment, the city of Shanghai has been for years at the forefront of attracting overseas talent also in terms of visa policy benefits.

What is new?

Recently, the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau made an update in the announcement on its official website that foreigners with doctoral degrees who work in Shanghai can directly apply for permanent residence permit, also known as China’s “green card”, without having to calculate the salary level, tax payment and years of continuous work in Shanghai that are required for employment-type applicants. Previously, this policy only applied to overseas Chinese with doctoral degrees.   

According to the policy, the overseas spouse of qualified applicants and their unmarried children that are under the age of 18 can apply for permanent residence together with the overseas applicants.

Required documents

The key documents required for the application of the permanent residence permit are as follows.

1. Original doctoral degree certificate:
   Doctoral degree certificates issued by overseas institutions must be certified by the Service Center of the Ministry of Education in China (website: https://zwfw.cscse.edu.cn/).
2. Original certificate of no criminal record issued within 6 months from the date of application:
   The certificate must be issued by the relevant state-level authority and legalized by the Chinese embassy or consulate. Applicants who have continuously resided in a country other than the country of their passport for more than 2 years since reaching the age of 18 must also provide evidence of a clean criminal record in that country.
3. Original certificate of no criminal record in China:
   The certificate shall show no criminal record with all passport numbers used by the foreign applicants during their stay in China.

This policy will facilitate the stay of overseas talents who have a long-term development plan in China and saves huge administrative efforts due to extensive formalities of visa renewal, change of employer in China, etc. It further demonstrates the city’s commitment to attracting and retaining overseas talent and promoting academic cooperation.