China begins issuing work permits on trial basis

China’s new visa pilot programme has been flagged off as the first work permit was issued to a foreign worker by the Beijing Municipal Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, the Beijing Morning Post stated on 15 October. The first recipient is said to be a Canadian working in an international school in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. Of the 10 provincial level regions where the programme will be trialled, Beijing is one of them. The programme would smoothen the process through which foreign nationals will apply for work visas as per a new guideline from the SAFEA  (State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs), said the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. In September this year, SAFEA launched the pilot scheme to merge the two types of work permits that foreign nationals can apply for currently, which include the employment licence for foreign workers and the overseas expert work permit for talented people, into one single work permit. According to Global Times, the programme is to be extended throughout China in April 2017. With this measure, the Asian superpower is looking to welcome more foreign skilled workers to be able to satisfy the demands of the country’s society and economy. Talented foreigners who apply for work permits are not needed to produce printed materials before entering the world’s second largest economy. In addition, people who are considered highly-skilled can conduct the application process online. If you want to travel to China, approach Y-Axis to get advice on how to go about filing for a visa from one of its 19 offices located all over India.