Shanghai adopts new policy to attract foreign graduates

Shanghai has issued a notice on June 20, relaxing restrictions on work permits for foreign graduates to boost the city's talent pool.

The new notice, issued by the Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security and the Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, stipulates that four types of foreign graduates may apply for work permits directly.

Previously, foreign graduates could only find jobs in the city if they had two years of work experience, or at least a master's degree.

Foreign graduates from Shanghai universities need only a bachelor's degree if their future employers are headquartered in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) or the Shanghai Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone, according to the notice.

Tyler Rhorick, an American student from New York University (NYU) Shanghai, has become the first person to obtain a work permit in China upon graduating with a bachelor's degree. He will be working at the NYU Shanghai Pudong campus.

Tyler Rhorick, an American student from New York University Shanghai, has become the first to obtain a work permit in China upon graduating with a bachelor's degree. [Photo/shanghai.nyu.edu]

The notice also specifies that outstanding international graduates from Chinese universities outside Shanghai can work in the city if they have received a master's degrees or higher with an average academic score of 80 or above.

It's reported that dozens of qualified foreign graduates are applying for work permits in China, and Nina Lacome d'Estalenx is one of them. Nina is a French postgraduate student majoring in Chinese law at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. She has been offered a post by a logistics company in Shanghai.

The notice also allows outstanding foreign graduates from famous overseas universities with at least bachelor's degrees to work at the regional headquarters of multinational corporations, investment companies and research and development centers based in the city's FTZ and the Zhangjiang area. Such graduates with a master's degrees or higher are also allowed to work in the city.

Foreign post-doctoral researchers from renowned overseas universities or Chinese universities may also apply for work permits directly if they are under 40.

The move demonstrates the city's efforts to establish itself as a hub for technology and innovation.