Joaquim NASSAR: recipient of Shanghai’s first unified work permit for foreigners

Foreigners used to need a foreign expert work permit and an employment certificate for foreigners. With the reform, the two were combined into one single foreigner’s work permit which is recorded online and goes with the holder.

This combination streamlined the application process as it requires seven less documents, such as the application letter, original permit or stub, Chinese and English resume and recommendation letter. At the same time, additional requirements of the highest degree certificate and a clear legal record were added.

Prof. Nassar admits, “I am not surprised to see Shanghai becoming the first city to put forward the convenient foreigner’s work permit.” For him, Shanghai is the perfect city where cultures of home and abroad are merged. “A lot of the city’s features are attractive to foreigners and I think that with the reform Shanghai has set a larger goal—to become the top destination for global top-level talents, especially those in the fields of cutting edge sciences,” says Prof. Nassar. “The combination of these two certificates means a lot and is a crucial step in achieving that goal.”

(In June 2016, the SJTU–ParisTech Elite Institute of Technology is named “outstanding Sino-French colleges’ cooperation program” by the two governments.)