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C
HINA
B
RIEFING
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December 2014
Employing Foreign Nationals
in China: Visa Procedures
- By Zhou Qian and Steven Elsinga, Dezan Shira & Associates
With its unique culture, vast geographic size, and fast-growing
economy, China has long held a special appeal for foreign visitors.
For more than twenty years, the last of these reasons has drawn a
wave of foreign jobseekers to China to start or continue their careers.
Being a foreign employee in China, however, is not always smooth
nor easy, especially considering the country’s fast-changingmarkets
and regulatory system. Here we provide a quick sketch of China’s
expat demographics, followed by the procedures for obtaining
documentation to legally work in China.
Overview of expats working in China
There canbe nodoubt that in recent years, China’s expatriatemake-up
has been changing. With the country’s domestic work force steadily
maturing, managerial positions are increasingly being taken on by
Chinese talent, often with foreign degrees in hand and without the
cultural disconnect of previous generations.
Theroleofexpatsischangingaswell.Wheremultinationalsoncecameto
Chinamostlyformanufacturingandexporting,theyarenowincreasingly
here toaccess theChineseconsumermarket, andare shifting their focus
to logistics, warehousing and distribution accordingly.
The overall number of expats working in China has increased
dramatically since the launch of “reform and opening-up” (in 1978).
According to China’s most recent National Census held in 2010 - the
first to record the number of foreigners residing in China - there are
at least 600,000 expats working or living in cities throughout the
country, broken down by nationality in the chart below.
Top 10 Foreign Nationalities in China
Total: 600,000
(HK, Macao, Taiwan not included)
11%
Japan
3%
Germany
31%
Other
6%
Vietnam
7%
Myanmar
3%
India
3%
France
3%
Canada
21%
South Korea
12%
United States
C H I N A
Shanghai
209,000
Guangdong
235,000
Jiangsu
64,000
Shandong
33,000
Beijing
107,000
Liaoning
24,000
Zhejiang
36,000
Fujian
63,000
Guangxi
23,000
Yunnan
47,000
97,000
Other
Expat
Demographics
Unsurprisingly, most expatriates
are to be found in China’s first-
tier cities and its developed
coastal region. The high number
of Vietnamese and Burmese
nationals in China explains
the inclusion of Yunnan and
Guangxi. More surprising is the
comparative lack of Russian
expats, who did not make the
Top 10 - nor was the China-
Russiaborder included in the Top
10 most popular regions.
As for industries, according
to a survey conducted by The
Guardian, 85% of expats work
at international firms, with the
top three sectors being sales and
marketing (30%), banking and
finance (25%) and engineering
(15%).
