Work Visa in China

Work Permits and Visas in China

China has different categories of visas some including:

• (Z) Work:
  • Foreign expert working in China
  • For commercial performance
  • Chief representative or representative of a foreign company
  • Offshore oil operations
  • Volunteering (more than 90 days)
  • Foreigner working in China with a Work Permit issued by the Chinese government
• (J1) Resident foreign journalist of permanent office of a foreign news agency in China
• (J2) Foreign journalist visiting China for short-term news coverage
• (R) Foreign of high talent or specialist
• (M) Commercial trade:
  • Trade
  • Participation in competition/s
  • Other commercial activities

*Other types of visa categories can be found on the Chinese Visa Application Service Center application website.

China has a 3-tiered point-based system to grade applicants, as shown below:

• Class A – Elite foreign talent
• Class B – Professional foreign talent
• Class C – Miscellaneous foreigners

Applicants under all the categories above can qualify through two means:

1. Directly fulfill various requirements set for each category,
2. Reach sufficient points on the points table.

Directly quality by fulfilling requirements:

A – Grade Foreign Workers

A foreign employee is considered class A if any of the following conditions are met:

• They are a recipient of an international award;
• Selected by China’s talent important plan;
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial talents;
• Will take a government-encouraged scarce job; or
• Selected under the Youth Talent project

B – Grade Foreigners Workers

Foreigners will receive a B classification if they meet any of the following conditions:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree and have at least two years of work experience;
• Has a master’s degree from a university in mainland China;
• Holds a master’s degree from a top 100 institution worldwide as ranked by Jiao Tong University;
• For foreign language teachers, a bachelor’s degree or higher, no less than two years’ experience of teaching the language, and the language being instructed is the applicant’s native language.

C – Grade Foreign Workers

Class C employees are considered as such if:

• They are domestic helpers hired by class A employees;
• They enter China for an internship under a government agreement;
• They are in China for seasonal employment.

Points System

Applicants must have the minimum points below to be able to apply for a Z visa:

• Class A – above 85 points
• Class B 60 to 85 points
• Class C requires below 60 points

Please note that all the information listed below are to be used as a general guideline. For more detailed accounts of China employment laws and regulations, please visit the official governmental websites.

Updated on: 8^th August 2024