Seven Favorable Policies and Measures in Exit-Entry Administration for Hangzhou National Innovation Demonstration Zone ​Policy Interpretation Q & A

Policy Interpretation: Q & A

Q1: Who are eligible to enjoy the favorable policies and measures?

A: Four types of urgently needed foreigners: 1. Foreign top talents2. Long-term foreign employees working in Hangzhou; 3. Foreign nationals of Chinese ethnicity; and 4. Foreign students in and outside China.

Q2. How are foreign top talents defined?

A: Foreign top talents refer to those innovative and enterprising foreign talents urgently needed by Hangzhou in its“1+6”industrialclusters such as IT, cultural innovation, financial services, high-end equipment manufacturing, etc, and in its 7 future-oriented industries such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, biotechnology, and life science.

Q3: What organisations are eligible to provide recommendation letters for foreign top talents to apply for a permanent residence permit in China?

A: They are the administrative committees of the various units in the Hangzhou National lnnovation Demonstration Zone, including the Hangzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, the Hangzhou Dajiangdong Industrial Cluster District and the Hangzhou Chengxi Science and Technological Innovations Park.

Q4: What favorable changes have been made in the new policy concerning the application for permanent residency?
A: 1. Lower threshold of application. Officially recognised foreign top talents and their spouse and underaged children may apply upon the recommendation of specified organisations. 2. Wider coverage Foreigners who have a long-term working experience in China, with stable source of subsistence and a dwelling place. and whose annual wage income and paid annual individual income tax are up to specified standards, or foreign nationals of Chinese ethnicity who hold a doctorate degree and work in Hangzhou, or foreign nationals of Chinese ethnicity who have worked in Hangzhou for 4 years and spent a specified period of time in China, may apply for permanent residency, so may their spouse and underaged children. 3. Shorter waiting time. The time for permit issuance is reduced to 90 workdays from the day of application.

Q5: What are the standards for annual wage income and income tax payment as required in Policy 2?
A: Pre-tax income amounts to no less' than 8 times that of the average salary of an average salary of an average employee in Hangzhou in the previous year for 4 successive years, and individual income tax paid amounts to 100,000 yuan or above for an annual income of 500,000 yuan.

Q6: How to define foreign nationals of Chinese ethnicity?
A: They are foreign nationals who used to hold Chinese citizenship or who are of Chinese descent.

Q7: What favorable policies can foreign nationals of Chinese ethnicity enjoy?
A: The first is the favorable policy for permanent residency. Foreign nationals of Chinese ethnicity with a doctorate degree or above who work in Hangzhou, or foreign nationals of Chinese ethnicity who have worked in Hangzhou for 4 consecutive years and actually stayed no less than 6 months accumulatively each year in favorable policy in long-term visa and residency. A five-year visa with multiple entries may be issued to foreign nationals of Chinese ethnicity who come to Hangzhou for family reunion, commercial activities, exchange activities in science, education, culture and public health, or personal affairs. A residence permit with a valid period of no more than 5 years may be issued to those who need to stay in Hangzhou for a long term for work, study, family reunion or personal affairs.

Q8: How to define foreign students with the intention for a startup of innovation business?

A: They are foreign students who have innovative and entrepreneurship projects officially recognised by the various administrative committees in the Hangzhou National Innovation Demonstration Zone, the Innovation Park for International Talents the Business Incubator for Foreign Students and Characteristic Towns.

Q9: Are there any requirements for the foreign students with the intention for a startup of innovation business in Hangzhou?

A: Yes. They must hold a master' s degree or above from a university in Zhejiang Province, or excellent foreign students with a bachelor' s degree or above, The criteria for “Excellent” are specified by competent educational authorities.

Q10: Do the new policies allow foreign students from universities of other countries to come to Hangzhou for practice in enterprises?
A: Yes. Foreign students from a foreign university who come for practice as invited by an enterprise on the record of an exit-entry administration authority of a provincial-level public security organisation may apply at Hangzhou Port for a short-term visa for personal affairs (marking “Practice”). Those who have entered China via other types of visa may also apply to convert them into a short-term Visa for personal affairs (marking “Practice”).

Q11: What favorable policies have been made for the ordinary foreign employees in Hangzhou?
A: Recommended by their employer, foreigners who have worked in Hangzhou for 4 consecutive years, spent no less than 6 months accumulatively each year in China, and whose annual wage income and annual individual income tax paid are up to specified standards may apply for permanent residency in China. A work-type residence permit with a valid period of 5 years may be issued to foreigners working accumulatively for a year in Hangzhou who apply for a work-type residence permit for the third time, upon the terms that they have applied successively twice for a work-type residence permit and that they have no records of crime or regulation violation.

Q12: What favorable policies have been made for the technical talents senior management talents and other talents employed by specified enterprises?
A: Foreign technical talents and senior management talents who hold a work permit may apply for a work visa at the port of entry. In case they don' t time to obtain a work permit before hand, they may apply for a talent visa for entry by providing the invitation letter from specified enterprises.