FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Who is eligible to apply for recommendation letters for permanent residence?

High-level foreign talents who are recommended by Beijing service entities, and meet one of the following conditions:

A. Winners of well-known awards or personnel selected for high-level talent programs:

  1. Winners or nominees of internationally renowned awards including the Nobel Prize (Technology, Economics, Literature), Fields Medal, Wolf Prize, Crafoord Prize, Turing Award, Pritzker Architecture Prize, etc.
  2. Winners of national-level foreign-related commendation awards such as the Friendship Award and International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the Chinese government
  3. Recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars
  4. Talents selected for the Changjiang Scholars Program of the Ministry of Education, the Hundred Talents Program and the Program for Introduction of Prominent Technical Talents of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
  5. Talents selected for Beijing Postdoctoral Workstation; Chaoyang District Phoenix Plan, High-end Business Talents Program; Shunyi District Wutong Program; Haidian District Haiying Program; Changping District Changju Program; Fengtai District Fengze Program; Huairou District Yanqi Program; Shijingshan District Jingxian Program; Tongzhou District Lighthouse Program and Canal Program; Xicheng District One Hundred Talents Program; Yiqilin Program in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area; and Daxing District New Leading Talents Program
  6. Talents selected for city-level talents programs recognized by the Beijing Municipal Talent Work Leading Group Office

B. Distinguished foreign experts and scholars including:

  1. Foreign academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences or Chinese Academy of Engineering, academicians of national academies of sciences or engineering of other countries
  2. Chief scientists of the national 863 Program, 973 Program, National Key R&D Program
  3. Professors and associate professors currently working for top 200 universities, and professors currently working for top 201-500 universities ranked by the Britain Quacquarelli Symonds, The Times, and US News
  4. Talents who have professional qualifications equal to associate professors and associate researchers or above and work for top 200 scientific research institutions, and science and technology organizations ranked by the United States Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Essential Science Indicator (ESI), the British “Nature” magazine and other authoritative scientific research institutions in the past three years
  5. Talents who hold important positions (chairman, president, vice president, secretary-general, etc.) in prestigious international organizations (International Atomic Energy Agency, International Organization for Standardization, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, World Intellectual Property Organization, World Trade Organization, United Nations Environment Program, etc.) or academic associations (International Institute of Electrical Engineers, American Mathematical Society, European Organization for Nuclear Research, etc.)
  6. Management (deputy director and above) of national laboratories, national key laboratories, national engineering laboratories, national engineering research centres, nationally recognized enterprise technology centres, national engineering technology research centres, and foreign-invested R&D centres

C. High-level foreign talents in enterprise innovation and entrepreneurship including:

  1. Talents who have served as directors or above in the headquarters of Fortune 500 companies published in the US Fortune and Forbes magazines in the past three years
  2. Directors, higher-level leaders, and professionals with equivalent positions working in the financial institution headquarters in Beijing that are approved by the People’s Bank of China, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission or the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or senior leaders above deputy general managers and professionals with equivalent positions working in the branches of such financial institutions, such as president and vice president of a bank, chairman, vice chairman, director, supervisor, general manager (president), deputy general manager (vice president), chief accountant (financial director), secretary of the board of directors of a listed company, etc., or the corresponding position specified in the company’s articles of association
  3. Chief operating officers, chief scientists, chief financial officers, deputy general managers and above and professional technical personnel in national high-tech enterprises, listed companies, companies listed in the New OTC (Over the Counter) Market and the Cultural Board in the Reginal Equity Market, companies under the support of district-level talent plans, and companies that have postdoctoral workstations
  4. Those who make direct and stable investments in the services sector of Beijing for two consecutive years for a total of at least USD 1 million (actual payment of registered capital)
  5. Main founders of start-ups in the services sector of Beijing which are invested by investment institutions whose files are kept by the Asset Management Association of China with an amount of more than USD 2 million (no more than 2 main founders for each enterprise)
  6. Other high-level talents who have made special contributions or are in urgent need in the fields of science and technology, Internet information, finance, education, cultural tourism, healthcare and elderly care, and professional services in Beijing, and who are recommended by the Beijing Leading Group Office of Further Opening the Services Sector

2. What materials are required to be submitted by applicants of different categories for recommendation letters for permanent residence?

A. Application materials and requirements

  1. Employer’s application (the title of the letter shall be in font HeiTi size 3, and the content of the letter shall be in font FangSong size 4
  2. Letter of commitment from the employer
  3. Personal commitment letter
  4. A copy of the business license of the employer or the legal person registration certificate
  5. Completed Registration Form for Qualification Recognition of High-level Foreign Talents Contributing to Beijing’s Further Opening-up of Services Sector (It is recommended to apply for permanent residence in China)
  6. Formal employment contract from the employer
  7. Applicant’s valid passport
  8. Work permit
  9. Relevant materials proving the applicant’s eligibility, including one of the following materials:
    •　Winners of well-known awards or personnel selected for high-level talent programs:
    o　Award winners must submit their award certificates
    o　Personnel selected for relevant talent programs must submit their relevant certificates, certifications or supporting documents (list of participants)
    o　Personnel selected for city-level talents programs recognized by the Beijing Municipal Talent Work Leading Group Office shall submit relevant certifications
    •　Distinguished foreign experts and scholars:
    o　Foreign academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences or Chinese Academy of Engineering, and academicians of national academies of sciences or engineering of other countries shall submit certificates or certifications
    o　Chief scientists of the national 863 Program, 973 Program, National Key R&D Program shall submit certificates, letters of appointment or certifications
    o　Professors and associate professors currently working for prestigious universities in the world shall submit in-service certificates issued by their employers (including positions, titles, and official seals)
    o　Talents who have professional qualifications equal to associate professors, associate researchers or above and work for top 200 scientific research institutions, and science and technology organizations in the past three years shall submit their employment certificates (including positions, titles, and official seals)
    o　Talents who hold leadership or important positions in prestigious international organizations or academic associations shall submit employment certificates (including positions, titles, and official seals)
    o　Management of national laboratories, national key laboratories, national engineering laboratories, national engineering research centres, nationally recognized enterprise technology centres, national engineering technology research centres, and foreign-invested R&D centres in Beijing shall submit personal certificates of appointment (including positions, titles, and official seal) and recognition materials from their employers
    •　High-level foreign talents in enterprise innovation and entrepreneurship:
    o　Talents who have served as directors or above in the headquarters of Fortune 500 companies published in the US Fortune and Forbes magazines in the past three years shall submit personal certificates of appointment (including positions, titles, and official seals), and materials proving that their employers are among Fortune 500 companies
    o　Directors and higher-level talents working in the financial institution headquarters in Beijing that are approved by the People’s Bank of China, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission or the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or senior leaders above deputy general managers and professionals with equivalent positions working in the branches of such financial institutions, shall submit personal certificates of appointment (including positions, titles, official seals), as well as approval materials from the People’s Bank of China, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission or the China Securities Regulatory Commission
    o　Chief operating officers, chief scientists, chief financial officers, deputy general managers and above and professional technical personnel in national high-tech enterprises, listed companies, companies listed in the New OTC (Over the Counter) Market and the Cultural Board in the Reginal Equity Market, companies under the support of district-level talent plans, and companies that have postdoctoral workstations, shall submit personal certificates of appointment (including positions, titles, and official seals) and recognition materials from their employers
    o　Those who make direct and stable investments in the services sector of Beijing for two consecutive years for a total of at least USD 1 million (actual payment of registered capital) must submit investment certification materials (including the copy of the business license of the invested company, articles of association, invoices, investment certificates, etc.)
    o　Main founders of start-ups in the services sector of Beijing which are invested by investment institutions whose files are kept by the Asset Management Association of China with an amount of more than USD 2 million shall be the legal representatives and heads of the enterprises publicized by the Beijing Enterprise Credit Information Website and shall submit investment certification materials issued by the investment institutions whose files are kept by the Asset Management Association of China
    •　Other necessary certifications

3. Shall I submit Chinese translations of application materials for permanent residence?

Yes. The application materials must be translated into Chinese by a qualified translation company and stamped with its official seal.

4. How long is the validity period of the permanent residence recommendation letter?

The Recommendation Letter for Permanent Residence of High-level Foreign Talents Contributing to Beijing’s Further Opening-up of Services Sector is valid for one year.

5. Where can I access the guidelines for permanent residence recommendation letter and download relevant forms?

You can access and download the forms here: http://open.beijing.gov.cn/

6. What are the conditions for applying for permanent residence?

High-level Foreign Talents Contributing to Beijing’s Further Opening-up of Services Sector are eligible to apply for permanent residence in China with recommendation letters issued by the Beijing.

7. How to apply for recommendation letters for permanent residence?

•　Open the homepage of "Chaoyang International Talent Port"

•　Click "Talent Services", select "Permanent Residence"

•　Click "Demand Declaration"

8. What is the "Phoenix Plan"?

You can click the links below to find out more details:

•　Official website: https://www.chytalents.gov.cn/
•　About Phoenix College: https://www.chytalents.gov.cn/phoenixplan