China's new visa policy: expats voice their opinions

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This article has been republished with expressed consent given by Global Times.

China's new visa classification system sparks mixed feelings among expats. Photo: Li Hao/GT

When his lawyer called to tell him about the new Chinese government policy that categorizes foreigners working in China according to their expertise, Carl Robert Setzer, the founder and CEO of Great Leap Brewery in Beijing, became worried.

"The policy will certainly affect my business here," Setzer said.

"Our business is in the service industry, so it will be influenced the most. I have eight expat employees, all on work visas and residency permits; I am worried that it will be difficult for them to work in China," he said.

The new policy is geared toward attracting more high-level foreign talents to the country. Its pilot was launched in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Hebei, Anhui, Shandong, Guangdong and Sichuan provinces on October 1, according to a document released by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) in September.

It is slated to be applied across the country on April 1, 2017. But even though the full roll out is six months away, some foreigners in China are worried that the new system might put some types of workers at a disadvantage.

According to the document, foreign workers were classified into three categories: A, B and C. Type A employees are those who work as high-level managers at companies, scientists, and leading figures in the science and technology industry. Type B workers are professionals who hold a bachelor's or master's degree or above and have two years' working experience, and type C are foreign workers who have seasonal or temporary jobs and work in the service industry.

Under the new policy, China will take measures to encourage the introduction of top talent while limiting the B and C categories, which are less needed, and a green channel will be opened for top talent to apply for a work permit, reported the Global Times on September 10. 

The new policy has rocked the expat community. Some expats, especially those who work in the service or education industry, worry that it will be harder to stay in China in the future because of the new ranking. Others see it as an improvement over previous policies, as it streamlines the application process, makes it easier to understand and clarifies what kind of foreign workers are most welcomed in China. 

Under the new policy, foreigners will be assigned points based on a number of criteria, including skills, Chinese language proficiency, how long they have been working in China and the city they live in. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Better for whom?

Setzer was initially a bit worried that his foreign staff might be classified as type C and that it would become harder for them to get work permits. 

After he had learned about the specifics of the new policy, he was relieved. It seemed that he would be able to keep his staff. 

According to the policy, the A, B and C classifications will be based on a points system. The expats will be ranked according to their salary, educational background, the time they've worked in China, their Chinese language proficiency level, age, and location. Foreigners who live in less developed areas will get higher points than those in the cities. If an individual's points are higher than 85, he or she will be considered a class A expat. Those who have more than 60 points will be given type B certification, and those with 60 points and below will get type C. 

"Four of them have advanced degrees and strong technical backgrounds, and the other four are fluent in Chinese. Those are pluses according to the policy, so they will be fine," Setzer said. 

But Setzer also said if he had to hire English-speaking service staff such as waiters and bartenders, he would have been worried because the policy will affect a large number of foreign passport holders working in the service industry.

Setzer said if there are fewer foreign service staff available in the job market in the future, his company will have to hire Chinese service staff instead, which might affect his clientele.

"It could be a problem since our customers are mostly foreigners and are reliant on English-speaking staff," Setzer said. 

Not everyone is as lucky as Setzer. The new policy has put some expats on edge. 

According to a New York Times report in September, James, an American who used to be a high school teacher in the US and now works as a kindergarten teacher in Beijing, said he felt offended that he will be classified as a type B employee because it makes him feel like he is being labelled as a substandard employee.

Amber Udinave (pseudonym), a Ukrainian model who works in Beijing,  is worried that she won't be able to work in China in the future. 

"Modeling jobs are not stable," Udinave said. "Sometimes we have jobs, and sometimes we don't. If we don't have a big and legit agency that could guarantee stable jobs, we would be type C employees. It's difficult enough now. Some models don't even have work visas. It could only be more difficult in the future." 

Eric Liu, a consultant from Beijing-based Foreign HR Professional which helps local businesses hire foreign skilled workers, estimated in the New York Times report that there were around 2 million foreign workers in China in 2015, 300,000 of whom are holding a travel visa, and work in China illegally. 

More transparent

Setzer has been living in Beijing for 12 years. He believes that the new policy will help make the legal infrastructure in China more transparent and improve the quality of expats in China.

"It's great that China is defining more and more policies and allowing for further growth and investment for foreign passport holders," he said. 

"By having a clear definition of how foreigners can qualify for certain jobs and where they can help develop the modern Chinese economy, it will be a healthier environment for foreigners who are coming to China hoping to grow inside of its already vibrant society."

Andrew Perry, the education director at China HHS, a bilingual education institution in Beijing, said that although he will be classified as class B, from a skills perspective, the new policy is good.

"It won't affect my work here because I have years of education experience and an advanced degree in the field," said Perry, who is also in charge of recruiting foreign teachers for his institution. 

"Also, it will give me a more effective pool of teachers to choose from because there is a higher standard for us now. But it also means that wages will increase, and it will stop a lot of younger teachers from coming to China."

Perry said that the policy wouldn't make China a more welcoming country in general because it limits what you can do.

"[But] it will or should be effective in bringing in the right talent if it's upheld and companies stick to it," he said.

Everybody does it

Although it may seem harsh to categorize foreign workers, it's necessary for China to better manage the foreign workers in the country and attract more qualified workers, according to Liang Yucheng, a sociologist at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, who studies how foreigners integrate into the Chinese society. 

China is not alone in screening its foreign workers. Countries around the world are doing it too, especially developed countries. 

According to a sohu.com report in September, the US divides immigrants into five categories: people with outstanding talent, such as professors or researchers; professionals with specialized skills; professional or technical workers; religious immigrants, and investment immigrants, and each category has a higher quota than the one below. The UK has a similar system. 

"I'm very excited to see what grade I get from the new system. Hopefully, if it's an A, they don't paint it in red on my chest," Setzer laughed.

Want to see the original article? http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1011877.shtml

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