- The 15th Five-Year Plan for human resources and social security elevates foreign-talent management, linking work permits to a high-skilled migration system and a multi-department coordination mechanism.
人力资源和社会保障事业”十五五”规划提升了外国人才管理地位，将工作许可与高技术人才移民制度衔接，并建立多部门联动协调机制。- China’s work-permit system classifies foreign professionals into Category A (high-end), B (professional) and C (ordinary), with A exempt from age, education and experience ceilings.
中国工作许可制度将外国专业人才分为A类（高端）、B类（专业）与C类（普通），A类不受年龄、学历与工作经历限制。- Pilot cities are relaxing age and experience limits — e.g., Guangzhou-Foshan lets outstanding foreign graduates apply without the two-year experience requirement.
试点城市正在放宽年龄与经历限制——如广佛允许优秀外国毕业生免两年工作经历要求申请。- The plan promotes foreign-expert service reform, a comprehensive talent service platform, and equal basic public services for foreigners living and working in China.
规划推动外国专家服务保障综合配套改革、外籍人才综合服务平台建设，以及外国人在华工作生活基本公共服务均等化。- Foreign-invested employers should map roles to the A/B/C grid and use pilot concessions for hard-to-fill, high-skill posts.
外资用人单位应将岗位映射到A/B/C网格，并利用试点优惠政策引进难招的高技能岗位。- Practical step: build a work-permit playbook per entity — classification evidence, degree/experience waivers, and intra-group transfer pathways.
实操建议：按法人实体建立工作许可手册——分类证据、学历/经历豁免、集团内部流动路径。
China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the Foreign Work-Visa System: A Guide for Employers | “十五五”规划与外国人才工作许可制度：用人单位指引
The *15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Human Resources and Social Security* (published July 2026) gives unusual prominence to attracting and servicing foreign talent. For foreign-invested companies that hire expatriates — R&D centres, regional headquarters, factories and professional-services firms — the plan signals a more coordinated, digital and talent-friendly immigration posture over 2026–2030.
What the plan says
In the section on introducing foreign expertise and servicing foreign experts, the plan calls for:
- Improving the foreign-work management system, strengthening linkages with the high-skilled talent migration system, and optimising the classification standard for foreigners working in China.
- A multi-department coordination mechanism for foreign talent.
- Comprehensive reform pilots for foreign-expert service guarantees, a foreign-talent labour-and-personnel management system, smooth career-development channels, and a foreign-talent comprehensive service platform.
- Equal basic public services for foreigners living and working in China.
- Foreign-expert recognition and awards (including the Chinese Government Friendship Award) and programs such as the National Foreign Experts Program and the International Young Talent Exchange Program.
- Mutual recognition of overseas professional qualifications in engineering and technology, and a digital-technology engineer certification system.
A companion implementation read-out stresses that, by 2030, online services for work permits, returnees and professional-title review will be deepened, supporting the “invest in people” agenda.
The A/B/C classification in practice
China’s work-permit classification remains the operational core:
- Category A — High-end talent: scientists, leading tech talent, international entrepreneurs and specialised professionals meeting “high-precision-scarce” and market-demand criteria, or scoring 85+ on the points-based table. Exempt from age, education and work-experience limits.
- Category B — Professional talent: aligns with the Catalogue for Guiding Foreigners Working in China; requires a bachelor’s degree or above and at least two years’ relevant experience, with the age cap set at the statutory retirement age. Waivers apply for urgently-needed talent, innovation entrepreneurs and points-based (60+) candidates.
- Category C — Ordinary: managed under quotas and other state provisions.
Pilot concessions are widening
Local pilots are relaxing the traditional constraints. The Guangzhou–Foshan measures (issued February 2026) illustrate the trend:
- Category A is not subject to age limits; Category B’s age cap follows the statutory retirement age.
- Outstanding foreign graduates with a master’s or above from Chinese universities (or recognised foreign universities), with a confirmed employer, may apply without the two-year experience requirement; urgently-needed young scientific talent on state/provincial/city projects may also be exempted.
- Mutual recognition of Category A permits across the two cities (“one-place approval, two-city recognition”) removes duplicate document submission.
- Intra-group transfers within multinational regional headquarters are streamlined — no criminal-record or medical-report re-submission within 30 days of deregistration.
Why it matters for foreign employers
The plan’s emphasis on coordination, digitalisation and service platforms should reduce the friction of repeated filings and inconsistent local interpretation. For employers, the practical levers are: (i) classify roles correctly to capture A/B waivers; (ii) use pilot concessions for hard-to-fill R&D and specialist posts; and (iii) prepare for a more integrated, single-window foreign-talent service experience.
Practical steps
- Build the A/B/C map. Score each expatriate role against the points table; push genuinely high-end roles to A to unlock waivers.
- Use graduate and youth waivers. Where a role fits urgent-need or young-talent criteria, drop the two-year experience bar via pilot cities.
- Leverage intra-group transfer. For regional-headquarters moves, use the 30-day streamlined pathway.
- Prepare classification evidence. Keep degree certificates, reference letters and points calculations audit-ready.
- Watch the platform rollout. Consolidate filings as the foreign-talent comprehensive service platform matures.
“十五五”规划与外国人才工作许可制度：用人单位指引
《人力资源和社会保障事业发展”十五五”规划》（2026年7月发布）史无前例地突出了引进与服务外国人才。对于聘用外籍员工的外资企业——研发中心、地区总部、工厂与专业服务公司——规划释放出2026—2030年更具协调、更数字化、更友好的人才移民姿态。
规划怎么说
在”加强国外智力引进和外国专家服务”一节，规划提出：
- 完善外国人来华工作管理制度，加强与高技术人才移民制度衔接，优化外国人来华工作分类标准。
- 建立多部门联动协调机制。
- 深入推进外国人才服务保障综合配套改革试点、建立外国人才劳动人事管理制度、畅通职业发展通道、加强外籍人才综合服务平台建设。
- 健全外国人才在华工作生活基本公共服务保障体系。
- 加强外国专家表彰奖励（含中国政府友谊奖），实施国家外国专家项目与国际青年人才来华交流项目。
- 推进工程技术领域境外职业资格单向认可和互认，探索数字技术工程师认证制度。
配套解读强调，到2030年将深化外国人来华工作、留学回国人员等线上服务，支撑”投资于人”的导向。
A/B/C分类的实践
中国工作许可分类仍是操作核心：
- A类——高端人才： 符合”高精尖缺”和市场需求导向的科学家、科技领军人才、国际企业家、专门特殊人才，或计点积分85分及以上者。不受年龄、学历、工作经历限制。
- B类——专业人才： 符合《外国人来华工作指导目录》，须学士及以上学位加2年以上相关经历，年龄上限按法定退休年龄；急需紧缺、创新创业、计点积分60分以上等可放宽。
- C类——普通： 按配额等国家规定管理。
试点优惠正在拓宽
地方试点正在放宽传统约束。广佛措施（2026年2月印发）即为代表：
- A类不受年龄限制；B类年龄上限按法定退休年龄。
- 在中国境内高校取得硕士及以上学位的优秀外国留学生，或在境外知名高校取得硕士及以上的优秀外籍毕业生，有确定聘用单位的，可免两年工作经历；国家/省/市科研项目急需的青年科技人才亦可豁免。
- A类许可两市互认（”一地审批、两市互认”），免重复提交材料。
- 跨国公司地区总部集团内部流动在注销之日起30日内申请，免提交无犯罪记录与体检报告。
对外资用人单位的意义
规划对协调、数字化与服务平台的强调，应可减少重复填报与各地口径不一的摩擦。对用人单位，实际抓手为：（一）正确分类以享受A/B豁免；（二）对难招的研发与 specialist 岗位利用试点优惠；（三）为更一体化、单窗口的外国人才服务体验做准备。
实操步骤
- 建立A/B/C映射。 按积分表为每个外籍岗位打分；将真正高端的岗位推至A类以解锁豁免。
- 用毕业生与青年豁免。 岗位符合急需紧缺或青年人才标准的，通过试点城市取消两年经历门槛。
- 善用集团内部流动。 地区总部调动使用30日简化路径。
- 备妥分类证据。 留存学位证、推荐信与积分计算，以备核查。
- 关注平台落地。 随着外籍人才综合服务平台成熟，整合各类申报。
Practitioner Quick Reference
- 15th Five-Year HR plan: foreign-talent management linked to high-skilled migration and a coordination mechanism.
“十五五”人社规划：外国人才管理与高技术移民衔接并建立协调机制。 - A / B / C grid: A exempt from age, education, experience; B needs degree + 2 years (waivable); C quota-managed.
A/B/C网格：A免年龄学历经历；B需学位加2年（可豁免）；C按配额。 - Pilot waivers live: Guangzhou-Foshan drops the 2-year bar for qualifying graduates and youth talent.
试点豁免已落地：广佛对合格毕业生与青年人才取消两年门槛。 - Intra-group transfer: 30-day streamlined path for regional-HQ moves.
集团内部流动：地区总部调动30日简化路径。
Common Pitfalls
- Misclassifying to grab waivers: forcing a B role into A invites rejection and retroactive exposure.
为获豁免而错分类：将B类硬套A类会招致驳回与追溯风险。 - Assuming nationwide uniformity: pilot concessions (age, experience) are city-specific, not automatic nationally.
以为全国一致：试点优惠（年龄、经历）因地而异，非自动全国适用。 - Neglecting the service platform: filings will consolidate; fragmented entity-level processes will need re-engineering.
忽视服务平台：申报将整合；碎片化的实体级流程需重构。
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