The affairs concerning the pilot accreditation standards for highly-skilled, sophisticated, cutting-edge and urgently-needed foreign talent in Shanghai are hereby notified by the General Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the General Office of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, in accordance with the principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the Central Talent Work Conference, and the requirements specified in the Opinions for Implementing the Pilot Program of Business Environment Innovation (Guo Fa [2021] No. 24) issued by the State Council.

Key Points

On the basis of the Classification Criteria for Foreigners Employed in China (for Trial Implementation), Shanghai will expand the scope of accreditation for high-end foreign talent (Category A) and foreign professional (Category B) according to the Accreditation Criteria for Highly-skilled, Sophisticated and Cutting-edge Foreign Talent in Shanghai (for Trial Implementation) and the Catalog of Jobs for Foreign Talent Whose Skills Are Urgently Needed in Shanghai (for Trial Implementation), respectively. That is, more facilitation measures concerning foreigners employed in China are available now.

The pilot of accreditation standards for highly-skilled, sophisticated, cutting-edge and urgently-needed foreign talent in Shanghai is put into effect on January 1, 2023, and remains valid for two years.

Accreditation Criteria for Highly-skilled, Sophisticated and Cutting-edge Foreign Talent in Shanghai (for Trial Implementation)

The criteria specified in the Classification Criteria for Foreigners Employed in China (for Trial Implementation) are revised and expanded. Specifically, the three criteria continue to be valid: "Selected for the Domestic Talents Programs" "Innovative and entrepreneurial talent" "Graded 85 points or more in the points-based system."

(B) Conforming to the international criteria of professional achievement

Newly-added

2.2 Winners of international awards and prizes, as newly added: the Kavli Prize, the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize; the Lorentz Medal; the Claude E. Shannon Award; the Breakthrough Prize; the Brain Prize; the Enrico Fermi Award; the Max Planck Medal; the Victoria Award; the Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry; and the Darwin Awards.

2.3. Newly-added: Winners of Shanghai Science and Technology Awards.

The Revised

2.10. Criteria for Highly-skilled, Sophisticated and Cutting-edge Foreign Talent in Shanghai: Former middle or senior administrators, professors (researchers), or associate professors (associate researchers) in domestic or overseas high-level universities or research institutes.

III. Foreign talent fulfilling the market demand for government-encouraged positions

3.1 Senior executives or tech professionals hired by central enterprises or their subsidiaries, global or regional headquarters of Fortune Global 500 enterprises, national high-tech enterprises (accredited by the science and technology departments at or above the provincial level), large enterprises, China's Top 500 enterprises, "unicorn" enterprises, or national "little giant" enterprises applying special, sophisticated techniques to produce unique and novel products (accredited by the economic and IT departments at or above the provincial level).

3.2 Senior executives or tech professionals working in state-accredited national key labs (accredited by science and technology departments), engineering research centers of enterprises (accredited by development and reform departments), engineering labs (accredited by development and reform departments), engineering and technical research centers (accredited by science and technology departments), technology centers of enterprises (accredited by economy and information technology departments), or local technological innovations service platforms accredited by science and technology departments), Shanghai-accredited new R&D institutes (accredited by science and technology departments), overseas-funded R&D centers (accredited by commerce departments), trade headquarters (accredited by commerce commissions), headquarters of private enterprises (accredited by commerce commissions), or R&D and transformation platforms (accredited by science and technology departments)

3.3 Senior executives or tech personnel employed by domestic and foreign medium-sized enterprises or board chairmen, legal representatives, general managers or chief technical specialists employed by Shanghai-based foreign-funded exporters of advanced technologies or products or small-sized foreign-funded enterprises in line with the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment.

3.9 Others with an average salary no lower than six times the average income in the previous year of employees in local urban employers.

V. Excellent young talent

Newly-added

Criteria for Highly-skilled, Sophisticated and Cutting-edge Foreign Talent in Shanghai:

5.1 Young talent under the age of 40 who are engaged in post-doctoral research in domestic or foreign colleges and universities, scientific research institutes, enterprises, or medical and health institutions.

5.2 Doctors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) under the age of 40 who graduated from the world's top 200 universities in the recent five years.

5.3 Excellent fresh graduates with a bachelor's or higher degree from the world's top 10 universities.

VII. Talent recommended by relevant departments

If foreign talent serves the implementation of national key strategies, the development of key fields and the construction of major projects, tackles difficulties in key and core technologies, meets the needs of local industrial and socioeconomic development, and has obtained the recommendation letters for the grant of work permit for foreign high-end talent (Category A) from the municipal competent departments of relevant industries, the administrative department of work permit for foreigners shall approve and confirm their status as "talent recommended by relevant departments", tag them as such in the "Service System for Foreigners Working in China" in real time, and report the list of such talent and any change thereof to the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security every six months.