With the arrival of the graduation season of 2021, many foreign students graduate with master's degree or above from well-known overseas or Chinese universities. However, because they have no work experience, it is difficult for them to apply for work permit in China.

But there are preferential policies for new graduates to apply for a work visa (Class C), that is, work experience is not required. Take Shanghai as an example, from October 2020, work visas (Class C) can be applied for within two years after graduation.

If there is no class C work visa policy in other cities, you can try to apply for a work permit with the "points system". Generally, it can also be applied if the points reach 60.

What is a work visa (Class C)

Class C of foreign ordinary personnel, in general, is "other foreigners in line with national regulations", including foreign youth doing internship in China, college graduates and other personnel. It mainly includes:

（1） Foreign personnel who meet the current regulations on the administration of foreigners working in China;

（2） Foreign personnel engaged in temporary and short-term work (no more than 90 days);

（3） The personnel who implement the quota system which include foreign youth who come to China for internship according to intergovernmental agreements, foreign students who meet the specified conditions, foreign graduates of overseas colleges and universities, foreigners working in special fields such as ocean fishing, etc.

Quota is to limit the employment of foreigners with fixed quota according to time, region and type of work. When the quota is full, no work permit will be granted. Under the new system, the implementation plan clearly puts forward that China will implement "quantitative restriction" measures for foreigners working in China.

Approval conditions of work visa (Class C) for foreign college graduates

（1） At least 18 years old, in good health;

（2） No criminal record;

（3） Excellent academic performance, with an average score of no less than 80 points (100 point system, other points are converted into 100 point system) or above B + / B (grade system), and no record of bad behavior during school;

（4） Obtain corresponding education and degree;

（5） There is a definite employer, who is engaged in the corresponding job and major. In principle, the salary shall not be lower than the average salary of on-the-job employees of local urban companies, and the specific standard shall be reasonably determined by each provincial Human Resources and Social Security Department according to the actual situation of the employment market and the needs of introducing talents;

（6） Hold a valid passport or other international travel document that can replace the passport.

Case sharing

Case 1

Mr. B has a master's degree from Peking University. His GPA is 85 and he has found a job in Shanghai. He can apply for a work visa (Class C) in Shanghai.

If Mr. B has only a bachelor's degree from Peking University, he is not eligible to apply in Shanghai. We recommend using local policies to apply in Beijing.

Case 2

Ms. A is an undergraduate of Utrecht University with a GPA score of 90. She will work in the port special zone. She can apply for a work visa (category C).

Note:

1. Compared with Chinese university graduates, the requirements for foreign university graduates are more stringent, and the requirements for the ranking and achievement of schools are higher.

2. The applicant needs to apply in China. If the applicant is outside China, he / she needs to apply for PU letter first. If you have any questions about Chinese visa application (work visa, Pu letter, company registration, etc.), please contact us.

In addition to new graduates, which foreigners do not need 2 years of work experience?

If your company has good scale and qualification and the students are excellent graduates, then it is easy to handle.

Foreigners I have worked in China basically know that there are two necessary conditions for applying for a work visa for foreigners:

1. Bachelor degree or above;

2. At least two years of relevant working experience;

Before 2020, due to the large market demand for foreign teachers, the requirements of the Foreign Experts Bureau for the position of English teachers in culture and education was relaxed accordingly. In addition to the need for foreign talents from native English speaking countries, they only need English related qualification certificates (TEFL, TESOL, CELTA and other certificates) plus undergraduate diplomas to apply for work permits for the position of English teachers. But now there are more and more strict requirements! However, for talents in other industries, two years or more working experience has always been a mandatory requirement.

However, which foreigners do not need two years of work experience to apply for work visas in China?

In January 2017, the Chinese government introduced new laws to make it easier for specific groups to find professional jobs in other industries in China. Following are the official notes from the government:

"In order to implement the opinions on deepening the reform of talent development system and mechanism (ZF [2016] No. 9), it is proposed to allow some excellent foreign college graduates without work experience (personnel scope: including foreign students who have obtained a master's degree or above in colleges and universities in China and have graduated within one year, as well as foreign graduates who have obtained a master's degree or above in well-known colleges and universities abroad and have graduated within one year) employment in China.

This means that any new graduate who obtains a master's degree from a Chinese University is eligible to find a job in China's job market. In addition, this policy also extends to famous universities around the world. To some extent, the higher the world university ranking, the higher the probability of successful visa application, but this is only an entry standard.

As an excellent new graduate, this policy also needs to meet the following points while meeting the requirements of college diploma:

1. Applicants need to apply for work within one year after graduation (Overtime expires)

2. The work must be related to the specialty (some cities can according to the actual situation)

3. High quality enterprise scale (medium and large enterprises are preferred)

4. The average graduation score is higher than 80 (excellent graduation)

Therefore, for employers and HR, if there is a new talent with master’s degree who is suitable for your company, who does not have enough social work experience, but meets the national requirements for high-end and scarce talents, it can be analyzed according to local policies. For foreign talents without two years of work experience, as long as they meet the above standards, you can apply for a work visa without two years of work experience.