Nanjing has always been a city where talents were valued because of its flourished culture and education. Known as the Cultural Centre of ancient China, Nanjing had the national highest institution of learning more than 1,600 years ago.
In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, half of the number one scholars in the imperial examination came from Nanjing. Nowadays, many a prestigious university is located in Nanjing. The city’s excellent cultural heritage and education have created and attracted a large number of talented people from home and abroad, including more than 10,000 foreign students today.
According to Article 41 of the law of the PRC on the administration of entry and exit, foreigners working in China shall obtain work permits and work residence certificates in accordance with the regulations, otherwise no unit or individual may employ them. In China, the introduction of foreign talents in every region should be within this legal framework. Nanjing has simplified the process for foreigners to apply for work certificates to the extent permitted by law.
In April 2017, Nanjing implemented the reform of the approval system for foreigners to work in China, merging the two permits that were once required into one Permit for Foreigners to Work in China. The city also started to provide online declaration and some guidance for foreign talents. Since the implementation of this reform, Nanjing has introduced 6,307 foreign talents as of April 2019.
With the needs of economic development, Nanjing started to establish a pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in August, 2019. The FTZ focuses on integrated electricity, life and health, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and modern finance, which are all new growth points for the economy with great opportunity. Moreover, the local government has also sent a strong signal, hoping that a large number of foreign talents and foreign companies can enter the FTZ, so as to facilitate mutual learning and promote development.
For foreign talents, they can enjoy more efficient administrative licensing procedures. The service window for foreigners’ work permit in FTZ centralises a series of services, such as work permit, extension, change, cancellation and so on, which is much more efficient than before. If any foreign high-end talents recognised by any city in China who have not left the country and hold a valid residence certificate after terminating their contract with the previous work unit, Nanjing FTZ can directly identify them and apply for a work permit online with only 2 application materials, so as to maximize the convenience in application.
For foreign companies, the efficiency of business handling has been improved significantly. In addition, there are certain rewards for FTZ’s foreign-funded enterprises, such as relaxing the entry threshold, streamlined approval policy and some financial subsidies. So far, Nanjing FTZ has introduced 66 foreign-funded enterprises, with an actual utilisation of foreign investment of US$790 million.
Legal professionals play an important role in this FTZ, with one of the purposes of Nanjing FTZ to promote the internationalisation of legal services. Foreign legal-service institutions or law firms are encouraged to settle in the FTZ and would be provided a certain amount of subsidy. For international legal talents who plan to work in Nanjing FTZ for a long time, the restrictions on their age, education background and work experience will be further liberalised; legal talents may also receive a work permit for 2 years or more and they can enjoy the security policies of international talents’ entry and exit, residence convenience, children’s enrollment security and cross-border financial services.
To a large extent, the tolerance and openness of cities are reflected in their attitude towards people. As a Chinese saying goes, “If you get people, you will be safe; if you lose people, you will be in danger”. Nanjing has always taken a positive attitude towards foreign talents, which is one of the reasons why Nanjing has been ranked seventh most attractive city in the eyes of foreign talents.
Less limitation, more chance; this city where old and modern intermingle is always full of vitality.
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This article is intended solely for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Although the information in this article was obtained from reliable, official sources, no guarantee is made with regard to its accuracy and completeness. For more information please visit dandreapartners.com or WeChat: dandreapartners
