How can expats upgrade to Category A to enjoy more benefits?

Before coming to work in China, accurately assessing your talent type can greatlyimprove the efficiency ofyour “work permit for foreigners in China” application! When looking for a job in China, check out your “power level” first!

Category A
Implementing“Green Channel” and “Acceptance with Deficiencies”services

It seems that working in China will be much easier if you are in Category A. So, what kind of talent can apply for Category A?

One of the following conditions must be met to qualify for Category A:

I. Foreign Talent Plans
Individuals selected for the national talent introduction program approved or filed by the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, or the National Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.
II. Internationally Recognized Standards for Professional Achievements
We welcome the elite from everyindustry! This includes Nobel Prize winners; holders of the National Science Medal in the United States; academics from various science academies; those who held senior management positions and key technical members from Fortune 500 companies; Olympic medal  holders; and winners of prestigious literary awards, renowned film, television, and theater awards, famous music awards, and prestigious international art competitions; and professionals who have won international and national level skills competitions or have trained in competition projects.
III. Meet the Market-oriented Demand for Encouraged Positions
As long as you have a special skill, you can easily obtain a work permit! This includes individuals employed by central enterprises and secondary subsidiaries, global or regional headquarters of Fortune 500 companies in senior management or technical positions，individuals working in enterprise engineering research centers recognized by the state in high-level management or technical positions, and individuals holding senior management positions or vice-senior professional technical positions in top three comprehensive hospitals or vice-provincial-level or above city specialty hospitals or foreign-funded hospitals.
IV. Innovatlve Entrepreneurial Talent
For example, founders ofenterprises who contribute major technological inventions,patents,or proprietary technology with independent intellectual property rights, with stable investmentfor three consecutive years, total actual investment in the enterprise not less than US$500,000,and personalshareholding of not less than 30 percent.
V. Outstanding Young Talent
Individuals under 40 who have conducted postdoctoral research at high-level universities abroad or domestic universities in China.
VI. Score of 85 or Above

For more detailed rules, please visit https://www.sgst.cn/foreign.

“Highly-skilled, Sophisticated and Cutting-edge Foreign Talent" is a new pilot policy in six cities including Shanghai, which expands the recognition of Category A talents, making it easier for more young foreign talents to obtain work permits!
Those who meet these conditions can also beselected as “Highly-skilled, Sophisticated andCutting-edge Foreign Talent”!

Newly added awards
(1) Winners ofinternational awards and prizesas newly added: the Kavli Prize, the LouisaGross Horwitz Prize, the Lorentz Medal; theClaude E. Shannon Award; the BreakthroughPrize, the Brain Prize, the Enrico FermiAward; the Max Planck Medal; the VictoriaAward; the RogerAdams Award in Organic Chemistry; and the Darwin Medal.
(2) Newly-added: Winners of Shanghai Scienceand Technology Awards.

Highly-skilled
Criteria for Highly-skilled, Sophisticated andCutting-edge Foreign Talent in Shanghai:Former middle or senior administrators,professors (researchers), or associate  professors (associate researchers) in domesticor overseas high-level universities or research institutes.
Conforming to the international criteriaof professional achievement
(1) Senior executives or tech professionals hired by central enterprises or their subsidiaries,global orregional headquarters of Fortune Global 500 enterprises, national high-tech enterprises (accredited by the science and technology departments at or above the provincial level), large enterprises, China's Top 500 enterprises, “unicorn”enterprises, or national “little giant" enterprises applying special, sophisticated techniques to produceunique and novel products (accredited by the economic and IT department at or above the provincial level).
(2) Senior executives or tech professionals working in state-accredited national key labs (accredited by science and technology departments),engineering research centers of enterprises (accredited by development and reform departments),engineering labs (accredited by development and reform departmenters),engineering and technical reserch center (accredited by science and technology departments), technology  centers of enterprises (accredited by economy and information technology departments), or local technological innovations service platformsaccredited by science and technology de-partments), Shanghai-accredited new R&Dinstitutes (accredited by science and technology departments),overseas-funded R&Dcenters (accredited by commerce departments), trade headquarters (accredited bycommerce commissions), headquarters ofprivate enterprises (accredited by commerce commissions), or R&D and transformation platforms (accredited by science and technology departments).
(3) Senior executives or tech personnel employed by domestic and foreign medi-um-sized enterprises or board chairmen,legal representatives, general managers orchieftechnical specialists employed byShanghai-based foreign-funded exporters ofadvanced technologies or products orsmall-sized foreign-funded enterprises in linewith the Catalogue of Encouraged industries for Foreign Investment.
(4) Others with an average salary no lower thansix times the average income in the previousyear ofemployees of local urban employers.
Excellent young talent
(1) Talents under the age of 40 who are engaged in post-doctoral research in domestic or foreign colleges and universities, scientific research institutes, enterprises, or medical and health institutions.
(2) Doctors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics(STEM) under the age of 40 who graduated from the world's top 200 universities in the recent five years.

(3) Excellent fresh graduates with bachelor's or higher degree from the world's top 10 universities.

Source: Expat Focus