CCTV9英语新闻：Expats find work permit application a hassle

Transforming Shanghai into a global innovation center will require global talent. The same can be said for many other Chinese cities looking to up their game and become more competitive in the global market. However, applying to live and work in the country can be quite a hassle for foreigners. For more on this, we're joined in the studio by our reporter Wu Haojun.

Q1: Walk us through what it takes for a non-Chinese citizen to apply to work and live here in China.

Wu: It will probably take a full hour to explain the whole process that gives you an idea of how complicated it can be. But here’s a rough picture of the necessary steps for a foreigner to work and live legally here in China. A minimum of a month and half is needed from when one first applies for an employment visa in their home country to eventually acquiring the much-sought-after residence permit here in China. Now to get a better grasp of how much of a hassle the process can be, let’s go to Shanghai to visit with some expats working there.

DSM is a multinational corporation with a global workforce.

Paul Tayler is a top notch materials scientist originally from the UK.

As a foreigner working in China, every year he has to leave his passport with immigration authorities for an annual review.

As a scientist and a member of top-level management, Tayler at least has his immigration paperwork done by company staff.

There are many younger talents who simply do not have the resources to leave the hassle to others, and have to sort through the whole process by themselves.

Now the city of Shanghai says it recognizes the problem, and it's going to remove obstacles for foreign talents to live and work in the city.

That means if you're considered a talent, the door to the city won't be so hard to open. Paperwork will still be needed, but you can take your time.

"We will allow foreign talents who meet our requirements to come and live in Shanghai before they find jobs. Once they find jobs, they can go through the procedure to apply for their residence and work permit,” Huang Weimao, deputy director of Shanghai Admin. Of Foreign Experts Affairs, said.

The city is also going to reform the current regulations  so that foreign graduates without prior working experience abroad are also allowed to stay and work.

For foreigners like Palmioli, all this is definitely good news, but perhaps a little later than preferred.

HAOJUN: So authorities understand that China’s efforts at acquiring global talent could be more successful with some streamlining in the process of acquiring work and residency permits for foreigners. Hopefully there will be as much action as there’s been talk on this issue.

Q2: we’ve been talking about the need for global talent here in China, just how much is there right now in the country?

HAOJUN: Well, the rise of China's economy in the past decades has certainly helped with its appeal as a work destination. Nowadays, there’s no shortage of global talent, especially in many of China’s first-tier cities. but, so far, most are here for the short haul. According to the Center for China and Globalization, only 6,000 expats have received permanent residency since the so-called "green cards" were issued in 2004. And compared with some Western countries with more favorable immigration policies, China has experienced a talent "deficit" for years. For example, in 2012, more than 148,000 Chinese obtained overseas citizenship, while just 1,200 expatriates were granted permanent residency in China. The Chinese authorities say they do recognize the problem, and have since rolled out measures such as the R-visa and 1000 talent plan of foreign experts. Both aim at attracting the best of the best, partly through reducing red tape. So changes are taking place. Let’s just hope they are taking place fast enough in the global scramble for top talent.