More than 300 foreigners in Shanghai had applied for a Chinese “green card” by the end of last month and 184 had already been approved, authorities said. New rules introduced in July last year allowed applications from foreigners who had lived in the city for four years, earned a gross salary of over CNY600,000 and paid at least CNY120,000 in tax each year. Previously, only business executives, scientists or academics were entitled to apply for permanent residence permits. The Shanghai Exit-entry Administration Bureau said it takes around six months to review an application. The Bureau said half of the current applicants were business owners, high-level executives and General Managers and 30% were managers. The others were “high earners” such as doctors and pilots. Almost 80% are from developed countries with 65% Chinese with foreign nationalities. The bureau said it was also processing requests from 218 applicants’ relatives. Also under the new rules, 1,866 foreigners who had successfully applied for work permits in two consecutive years were given five-year work permits by the end of last month, the Shanghai Daily reports.

Health certificates, employers’ business licenses and certificates of residence ownership or registration forms of temporary accommodation are no longer compulsory for high-level foreign professionals with permanent residence permits to apply for the Shanghai Residence Card B, which enables foreigners to enjoy certain benefits that apply to local people. Local authorities said permanent residence permit holders, who are working or starting up private businesses, were eligible to qualify for a Card B, providing they held bachelor or higher educational degrees. They now only had to submit application forms, passports, permanent residence permits, certificates of their highest educational qualifications and employment contracts valid for at least 12 months. Foreign investors have to submit an auditing report covering the previous fiscal year. The validity of the Shanghai Residence Card B depends on credits the applicants can get based on their own background, such as education qualification, age, career and achievement. Applicants with credits above 65 can get a Card B valid from one to 10 years – the higher the points, the longer the card is valid. A permanent residence permit can give an applicant 100 extra points. Benefits for expatriates with a Shanghai Residence Card B will also be upgraded. Besides participation in the local social security system and education opportunities for their children, foreigners with a Card B can apply for “high-end talent” certificates to enjoy simplified customs clearance service for their research, teaching and personal materials. More information is obtainable by visiting the websites of the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau (www.12333sh.gov.cn) and the Shanghai Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (www.shafea.gov.cn), the Shanghai Daily reports.

Two foreigners received Shanghai’s top honor: Honorary Citizen. Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong presented the awards to Linda Tsao Yang, 90, Chairwoman Emeritus of the Asian Corporate Governance Association, and Wong Fatt Heng, 60, General Manager of Roche Diagnostics (Shanghai). Yang was born in Shanghai, but became an American citizen. She was involved in the environmental treatment program of Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, and helped to raise USD300 million in loans for the program. Wong, 60, was honored for bringing technologies into China that benefited the medical community, cultivated talent in the field of bioscience and promoted the development of clinical laboratory research. He was born in Malaysia, but his parents came from Guangdong province. Wong is also among the few people to be awarded all three Magnolia awards – silver (introduced in 1989), gold and honorary citizenship (both introduced in 1992). The Mayor also awarded 10 others Shanghai Magnolia Gold Awards in recognition of their contributions to the city’s development. The recipients come from the U.S., Sweden, France, Ireland, Ukraine, Italy, Singapore and Serbia. “Having lived and worked in over 20 countries, I have no hesitation in saying that the city of Shanghai is the essence of a modern metropolis, which looks to the future with bold determination and sharp focus,” said Marco Pellizzer, General Manager of the China Mainland and Hong Kong Region of CITS American Express Global Business Travel. He was speaking on behalf of the 10 gold recipients, the Shanghai Daily reports.

Foreigners will find it easier to work in Shanghai after the city released a series of policies to attract international talent. From November 1, foreigners will be able to apply for a unified work permit as the two types of work permits for ordinary foreign employees and foreign experts will be combined into one. The application process will also be simplified. Foreign workers will be classified into categories A, B and C: A for top talent, B for professional talent, C for unskilled workers or those working in the service industry. Some materials previously required to file an application will no longer be needed, such as a personal resume. Current work permits can still be used until their expiry date. Shanghai last year handled 8,599 applications for foreign expert work permits and 120,933 for employment licenses for foreign employees, more than other provinces and cities. Another new policy announced by Shanghai allows students who graduate from local universities without work experience to find employment in the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) and the Shanghai Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone. Previously, foreigners needed to have at least two years’ work experience to apply for work and residence permits in Shanghai. By August this year, 64 foreign postgraduates had obtained work permits under the policy. Another new policy allows regional headquarters of transnational companies, investment companies and foreign-funded research and development (R&D) centers, which are registered in the two trade zones, to employ graduates from leading foreign universities, with or without work experience, the Shanghai Daily reports.

Shanghai also canceled the 60-year-old age limit to apply or get work and residence permits for high-level foreign professionals last year. If the applicants are recognized as “foreign talent” by the authorities, they could be issued permits lasting five years, and they can also apply for a permanent residence permit after working for three years if their employers back their case. A total of 96 foreign expats have been issued such 5-year visas, including 27 older than 60. Most expats need to renew their residence permits once a year, but from last year, they can have their permits renewed for 5 years after two previous renewals. More than 1,800 qualifying expats have applied for the 5-year permits.

Fifty people from 19 countries were given the Magnolia Silver Award in recognition of their contribution to Shanghai’s development. Among those recognized were senior managers of international companies, such as Costa Crociere, Carrefour Group, Fuji Xerox (China) and Coca-Cola, as well as several experts. The awards were presented by Zhang Xiaosong, Director General of Shanghai’s Foreign Affairs Office. He said that China was now dedicated to promoting innovation-driven development and industrial upgrading and this had provided good opportunities for foreigners. Zhang urged them to actively participate in the development of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, join in Shanghai’s efforts to build itself into an international cultural metropolis, and “support our policies, such as public innovation and startup campaign, and the One-Belt, One-Road strategy, as well as further promote international exchanges”. A total of 1,059 foreigners have received the Magnolia Silver Awards, named after Shanghai’s official flower, since they were inaugurated by the city government in 1989.