Policy Information

1. Relaxation of application standards for green cards for foreign nationals in the employment category

>>Original policy: Foreigners applying for permanent residency in Shenzhen must have worked continuously for at least 4 years, with an annual salary of 820000 yuan, and pay no less than 20% of their salary and personal income tax (i.e. 16.40000 yuan) annually;

>>Current policy: Foreigners must have worked continuously in Shenzhen for at least 4 years, with an annual salary standard of 680000 yuan (a decrease of 14 million yuan), and pay no less than 20% of their salary and personal income tax annually (i.e. 13.6 million yuan).

Therefore, foreign nationals who plan to apply through employment/employment programs can apply during this window period as soon as possible.

2. Tightening of China's permanent residency policy for foreign doctoral applicants

After Guangzhou, Shenzhen has also adjusted the application threshold for foreign doctoral talents, indicating that Chinese green cards are favored by highly educated foreign talents.

>>Original policy: Foreign PhDs can apply for employment in Shenzhen enterprises with valid work permits based on their educational background, and spouses and minor children can move with them;

>>Current policy: Foreign PhDs not only need to hold a work permit to work in Shenzhen enterprises, but also need to provide a labor contract of at least two years before they can apply.

*Attention: Currently, applications for postdoctoral fellows are not accepted.

However, China is not an immigration country, and the green card policy is bound to continue to tighten in the future. Therefore, interested applicants must plan as early as possible.

3. Introduction of high-level talents and Chinese policies in the Greater Bay Area

>>High level talents: foreigners who meet the recognition criteria for high-level foreign talents can apply for permanent residence of foreigners after being recommended by the Management Committee of Qianhai Shekou District, Shenzhen, China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (with the Letter of Recommendation for Foreign High level Talents in Key Development Regions of Guangdong Province to Apply for Permanent Residence in China) or recommended by the Shenzhen Municipal Government (with the Letter of Recommendation for Foreign High level Talents in Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone 9 in the Pearl River Delta or Jieyang Sino German Metal Eco City to Apply for Permanent Residence Permit).

>>Innovative enterprise talents: foreign senior management and professional technical personnel introduced and recommended by well-known domestic enterprises, high-tech enterprises, and innovative enterprises in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area;

In addition, the Greater Bay Area Chinese policy also applies in Shenzhen:

Foreign Chinese who hold a work permit and have worked continuously in Shenzhen enterprises for at least 4 years, and have actually resided in Shenzhen for at least 6 months each year, do not need to meet the local salary requirement of 6 times, in order to apply for permanent residency in China.

4. Conventional application channels (applicable to national policies in Shenzhen)

Except for special channels, Shenzhen synchronously implements the national unified application standards, but in specific implementation, it is combined with local conditions:

>Investment application: Direct investment in Guangzhou for three consecutive years, with stable investment and good tax payment. The specific investment amount must meet the following requirements:

- High comprehensive investment type: investors who invest in China, have actually delivered a total registered capital of more than 2 million US dollars, and must not be lower than this standard for three consecutive years;

- Central Key Investment Type: Investing in the central region of China, with a total registered capital of over 1 million US dollars, and not lower than this standard for three consecutive years.

- Encouraged Industry Oriented Type: Investing in industries encouraged by the "Catalogue of Foreign Investment Industries" issued by the state, with a total registered capital of over 500000 US dollars, and not lower than this standard for three consecutive years.

>Job application:

- Hold the position of Deputy General Manager/Deputy Factory Manager or above;

-Or hold the title of associate professor/associate researcher or above;

-Having served continuously for at least 4 years and having accumulated at least 3 years of residency in Guangzhou within 4 years;

-Good personal income tax payment records;

The employing unit shall meet one of the following conditions:

1. Institutions under various departments of the State Council or provincial people's governments

2. Key higher education institutions ("211 Project" schools and the first batch of admitted universities); 3. Enterprises and institutions that carry out national key engineering projects or major scientific research projects; 4. High tech enterprises, encouraged foreign-invested enterprises, foreign-invested advanced technology enterprises, or foreign-invested product export enterprises.

>Family reunion:

- Spouse reunion: Spouses who are Chinese citizens or permanent residents, have been in a marriage for at least 5 years, have resided continuously for at least 5 years, and have actually resided for at least 9 months per year;

-Children Reunion: Unmarried children under 18 years old seek refuge with Chinese parents.