On September 14th, 2020, Hainan released a Implementation Plan on the Pilot Program for International Talent Service Management Reform in the Hainan Free Trade Port.

The plan will support Hainan to carry out pilot reform in international talent management and explore the establishment of a management system by introducing international talents, training evaluation, work residence, and service guarantees that in line with international standards and meets the needs of the Hainan Free Trade Port with Chinese characteristics.

According to the plan, by 2022, major breakthroughs shall be expected in system establishment and mechanism innovation. A domestic leading service management system and mechanism for international talents will take shape to form a fair, law-based, inclusive and convenient international talent system to ensure that a variety of international talents will be attracted, willing to stay and work well.

By 2025, all scheduled tasks will be effectively implemented, and a more open, dynamic and competitive international talent service management system and mechanism will be established. And Hainan will see a considerable progress on the total number of international talented people brought in, and on the efficient use of international talent resources.

Innovative international talent introduction and use mechanism

• Hainan will establish an overseas talent recruitment system in line with international standards, and formulate a catalogue for urgently-needed talents in the industries of the Hainan Free Trade Port to attract international talented people to work and start businesses in Hainan.

• Universities, hospitals, scientific research institutes and statutory institutions in Hainan will allocate a certain number of positions to recruit foreign personnel, and allow qualified foreign personnel to serve as legal representatives of statutory institutions, and state-owned enterprises.

• An international talent innovation and entrepreneurship platform and the China (Hainan) Overseas Students Entrepreneurship Park will be built to attract international talented people and outstanding overseas students to the Hainan Free Trade Port for innovation and entrepreneurship.

• Explore more channels to contact international talented people, work with Chinese embassies and consulates abroad as well as sister cities to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with key countries and regions, and attract the headquarters or branches of internationally renowned headhunters to settle in Hainan.

• Create international talent exchange and cooperation brands, hold the China (Hainan) Talent Exchange Conference and the Belt and Road Talent Development Forum, strengthen cooperation and exchanges with internationally renowned trade associations and foundations, and attract high-end talents in key fields.

Improve the evaluation and incentive mechanism for international talent training

• Create new models to cultivate internationally oriented talents, attract overseas first-rate universities and vocational colleges in science, technology, agriculture and medicine to open and run schools independently in the Hainan Free Trade Port, encourage domestic key universities to join hands with renowned overseas universities to set up Chinese-foreign cooperatively-run schools with independent legal person status in the Hainan Free Trade Port, and cultivate a large number of talented people with international vision.

• Establish a green channel for the evaluation of international talent titles, and for the introduction of international talents that meet the classification standards and conditions of Hainan Province's high-level talents, and can declare and appraise senior titles based on their contribution and actual level.

• Reform the foreign-related professional qualification management system, ease restrictions on overses personnel participating in vocational qualification examinations, and allow international talents who have obtained overseas professional qualifications or recognized international professional organization qualifications (except for certified public accountants, legal services, etc.), directly provide professional services to enterprises and residents in the Hainan Free Trade Port after passing the skills certification,

• Improve the compensation and incentive mechanism for international talents, guide employers to implement a distribution policy oriented to increase knowledge value, explore medium and long-term incentives for high-end talents such as job dividends, project income dividends, and equity incentives, and allow technology equity gains and capital markets realization, etc., increase legal income to attract international talents.

Implementation of work permits and immigration convenience measures

• Negative list management will be carried out for foreign personnel to work in the Hainan Free Trade Port, and foreign personnel out of the negative list will not be restricted from working in the Hainan Free Trade Port.

• Quota management shall be implemented for the restricted work permits in the negative list, a dynamic quota adjustment mechanism shall be established, and the restricted work permits shall be independently approved within the total quota control.

• Foreign high-performing talents who work in the Hainan Free Trade Port can directly work part-time and start businesses in the Hainan Free Trade Port, after being approved by his/her full-time and part-time employers and registered at the related authority. If the work permit is within the validity period, there will be no need to reapply or change the work permit for part-time work.

• In addition to submitting the main application materials, other materials can be accepted, and individuals and units who fail to implement the work permit and work type residence permit will be punished according to law.