Heilongjiang province issued its first work permits for foreigners on June 5 under a new national system. Thirteen foreign high-end professionals from three enterprises and five respected universities received the Foreigner’s Work Permit cards.

The new foreigners' work permit administration system went into effect on April 1 and the management service system started operations on May 1, with 13 service windows set in municipal Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and local government service hall.

China created the new system by integrating the old Employment Permit for Foreigners and Foreign Expert Work Permit into one system to make it easier for overseas people to work and live in China.

In addition to the holder's basic information such as name, nationality and gender, the employee's category is also printed on the card, along with a lifetime individual code for tracking personal information such as work experience and credits. By scanning the QR code at the bottom, more detailed information about the holder will be revealed.

Management of foreigners working in China

Centralized management: Foreign experts and ordinary foreigners will be under centralized management by specialized departments, and the Foreigner’s Work Permit card is now the only legal work permit.

Category management: Foreign employees in China will be categorized as A, B or C — high-end personnel, professionals, and temporary or seasonal workers in service or non-technical sectors respectively.

Points-based system: A points-based system will be introduced to assist classification with 10 marking items, such as working years, annual working hours, HSK level and age. A mark above 85 points will be categorized A, above 60 categorized B and below 60 categorized C.

Classified examination and approval system: Employees in category A are encouraged and enjoy “green path” service. Employees in category B are controlled and those in category C will be limited.