ExpatBriefing: Shanghai Attracts Foreign Experts With Special Visas

By Fiona Moore, for Expatbriefing.com 29 March, 2018

The Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, half of which is located in the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, reports that Shanghai has granted 52 special "R visas" to high-profile foreign experts since the start of this year.

The 52 visas, granted by way of "foreign high-end talent confirmation letters," are the most that have been issued anywhere in China. They entitle holders and their families to enter China multiple times over a 5- to 10-year period for stays of up to 180 days.

Those receiving a visa include two winners of the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award in 2017, six former heads of overseas research institutes, five emeritus professors at top-rated overseas universities, and six academics selected into various talent programs.

Visas were also issued to three post-doctoral researchers, two senior managers at foreign-funded research and development centers, and 28 top managers hired by local tech companies and institutions.

The granting of R visas is an initiative jointly launched by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Security, to attract more foreign talent to participate in China's economic expansion.

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