SHANGHAI authorities said on Oct.11th  that they had started implementing the country’s pilot program to unify work permits for foreigners.
They are organizing trainings for local enterprises and helping them register for work permits for their international employees via the new system.
From November 1, all foreigners have to apply for the same work permit, rather than the employment permit for ordinary foreign employees and foreign expert certificates for high-end talents.
The new procedure will require 20 working days to process the permit and the materials needed has also been halved to application form, job-related qualifications, education certificate, proof of no criminal record, health examination report and employment contract.
They will be administrated in A, B and C categories, respectively, for high-end personnel, professional personnel and temporary and seasonal personnel.
The status of the work permit holders will be decided according to a series of criteria, such as their salaries, educational backgrounds, length of service, working hours in China, age and work experience. Scores are added up to 60 minus for group C, 60 plus for B and 85 plus for A.
National personnel schemes and international standards are counted for the evaluation of the top-end foreign experts accredited to Group A.The high-end personnel will enjoy green path in work permit application, such as no thresholds for age and working experiences and faster application approval.