Summary: Article calls for faster improvements in China's service and support system for foreign talent, highlighting policy progress but noting legal gaps, coordination issues, and high thresholds for residency and work permits. It proposes legal, administrative, and service reforms to boost global competitiveness.
Source: OT-Team(G), 学习时报, 文章 ｜ 第 5981 期
China should move faster to improve its service and support system for foreign professionals as part of a broader push to attract more high-level global talent, according to an article released by Study Times.
The article emphasizes that foreign professionals constitute an important force in China's effort to become a world leader in science and technology. In the global competition for talent, several major science powers already demonstrate clear advantages.
Data cited from the U.S. National Science Foundation's State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024 show that the United States' R&D system and international competitiveness are highly dependent on foreign-born talent. In 2021, foreign-born scientists and engineers accounted for 19% of the U.S. science and engineering workforce. Among them, professionals from India and China represented 29% and 12%, respectively. Meanwhile, Germany has become the second-largest hub for international scholars and researchers after the U.S., according to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) report Science Metropolises 2025. In 2023, German universities employed 65,511 foreign scholars, representing 15.4% of the total academic workforce. In 2022, foreign researchers at Germany's four major research organizations — the Max Planck Society, Helmholtz Association, Leibniz Association and Fraunhofer Society — numbered 16,625, accounting for 30% of their research staff.
The article attributes these outcomes largely to mature technology immigration mechanisms, open and inclusive innovation ecosystems, and systematic policy support from national to institutional levels in the U.S. and Germany, reflecting the high priority both countries place on international talent.
Progress in China's policy framework
China has in recent years continued to refine its management and service mechanisms for foreign professionals, gradually improving the overall support system.
Key measures include the implementation of regulations governing foreigners' entry and exit, standardizing visa issuance and in-country stay and residence services. Policies such as port visas, transit visa-free arrangements and region-specific visa-free entry have been continuously optimized. In 2024, China issued 2.597 million visas to foreign nationals, up 52.3% year on year.
The nationwide work permit system for foreigners has been fully implemented, with a cumulative 1.18 million work permits issued as of 2021. The Measures for the Implementation of the Foreign Talent Visa System clarified that high-level and urgently needed foreign professionals can apply for talent visas, expanding coverage and extending validity periods.
China has also strengthened permanent residence services through policy documents on enhancing the administration and services for foreigners' permanent residence, and by introducing a new version of the foreign permanent residence ID card, known as the "Five-Star Card," while expanding its online and offline application scenarios.
In education, regulations on schools for children of foreign nationals have been introduced, and public primary and secondary schools are allowed to enroll foreign students, helping meet diverse educational needs and easing concerns for foreign professionals with families. By 2024, the number of international schools in China had reached 972, mainly concentrated in highly internationalized regions such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangdong.
Structural challenges remain
Despite a steady increase in the number of foreign professionals and a growing set of supportive policies, the article notes that China still faces challenges in building a fully systematic and coherent service and support framework.
First, the legal and regulatory system remains incomplete. Long-discussed regulations on the administration of foreigners working in China have yet to be promulgated, leaving the management of foreign employment without a dedicated legal basis. The follow-up to the 2020 draft regulations on the administration of foreigners' permanent residence remains unclear. In the area of technology immigration, there is no specialized legislation beyond relevant provisions in the Exit and Entry Administration Law, resulting in legal gaps and underdeveloped institutional arrangements.
Second, interdepartmental coordination is insufficient. Responsibilities related to services and support for foreign professionals are spread across immigration, human resources and social security, foreign affairs, science and technology, taxation and education authorities. Synergy in policy implementation is still limited, while inconsistent policy interpretation and recognition standards across regions add to difficulties faced by foreign nationals.
Third, support is uneven across different categories of foreign talent. While policies for high-end foreign talent are relatively well developed, general foreign professionals often lack full "national treatment." Under the current trial classification standards, criteria for Category A (high-end talent) are considered too stringent, while Category B (professional talent) is overly broad. Thresholds for permanent residence remain high overall. Practical issues also persist, such as limited English-language support on some government service platforms and pension eligibility constraints for those who reach retirement age without 15 years of contributions, which can hinder long-term stability.
Policy directions proposed
The article argues that accelerating improvements in the service and support system for foreign professionals is both crucial and urgent. It calls for integrating foreign talent into China's overall strategy of building a strong talent nation and developing a more internationally competitive institutional framework.
Recommendations include:
Strengthening the legal framework by expediting regulations on the administration of foreigners working in China, improving rule-of-law governance in talent management, and exploring a high-tech talent immigration system. Proposed measures include points-based permanent residence, fast-track channels and better mechanisms linking work residence to permanent residence. The current work permit classification standards should be revised to form a "national baseline plus local supplements" differentiated access system.
Building an efficient, coordinated management mechanism by clarifying departmental responsibilities, promoting cross-agency information sharing and business coordination, optimizing approval processes, integrating document issuance, and enhancing one-stop services for foreign professionals' work and daily life.
Designing inclusive and targeted service policies through reforms to improve convenience in healthcare, education, finance, transportation and accommodation services; increasing support for outstanding foreign graduates seeking work and residence permits; accelerating the development of internationalized designated hospitals; and improving the social insurance system with flexible schemes for both long-term and short-term foreign workers.
Creating a more international and welcoming environment by expanding the use of passports in government services, e-payment, healthcare and tourism scenarios; improving the internationalization of the research environment; increasing opportunities for foreign professionals to participate in national science and technology programs; exploring English-language project applications and internationalized peer review; and strengthening policy communication, including English-language service manuals from hospitals, banks and tax authorities.
The article concludes that such measures would provide stronger support for China's ambition to become a global hub for talent and innovation while fostering a social atmosphere that values and respects international professionals.
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