A scientific and practical evaluation system for foreign talents shall be established, stressing their abilities, achievements and contributions, highlighting the orientation of market demand such as market  assessments and that of international units in the same industry(see Accreditation Criteria for Universally Accepted Professional Achievements of High-End Foreign Talents, hereinafter referred to as Achievement Criteria), and comprehensively applying the point-based system (see Table of Points Assignment ), the guidance for foreigners working in China, labor market testing and quota management. On the basis, the foreigners working in China shall be divided into three categories as A, B and C, and shall be administered in line with corresponding standards.

I. High-End Foreign Talents (Category A)

The scientists, the leading talents in science and technology, international entrepreneurs, the specialized talents and other "cutting-edge, top" rare high-end foreign elites are urgently needed for China's economic and social development. Foreigners that meet the state's priorities and catalogues for the introduction of foreign talents and one of the following conditions, shall be classified as Category A, and enjoy the services of "green passage" and "acceptance of incomplete application materials".

 (I) Those Selected in Domestic Talent Introduction Program

Candidates selected in the talent introduction programs (see Achievement Criteria 1) recognized by the competent talent departments above the sub-provincial level approved or consented on record by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.

 (II) Those In line with Internationally Accepted Accreditation Criteria for Professional Achievements

1. Nobel laureates (physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, economics).

2. Winners of the following awards: the National Medal of Science, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the Gold Medal of the National Centre for Scientific Research, the Royal Gold Medal of the United Kingdom, the Copley Medal, the Turing Award, the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, the Abel Prize, the Lasker Award, the Crafoord Prize, the Japan Prize, the Kyoto Prize, the Shaw Prize, famous architectural awards (see Achievement Criteria 2), and famous industrial design awards (see Achievement Criteria 3).

3. Academicians from academies of science and academies of engineering all over the world

4. Those who served as committee members, members or council members of world-renowned academic institutions (see Achievement Criteria 4) such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or international scientific and educational organizations.

5. Directors or senior researchers of national research institutes or laboratories all over the world

6. Directors, chief scientists or key members of world science & technology planning project achievements

7. Those who served as chief editors, deputy editor-in-chiefs or senior members of international high-level scientific and technological journals (JCR Quartile1 or 2).

8. Those who have published 3 papers as first authors or corresponding authors (including authors with equivalent contributions) in international high-level scientific and technological journals (the special field shall be in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) Quartile 1 or 2).

9. Those that held management positions above middle level or worked as professors or associate professors in domestic (overseas) high-level universities.

10. Those who held senior management positions or served as key technological research and development members in the headquarters of world's top 500 enterprises (see Achievement Criteria 5), or those who held management positions above deputy-general manager or served as heads of technological R&D in secondary companies or regional headquarters.

11. Those who held senior management positions in world-renowned financial institutions (see Achievement Criteria 6) or world-renowned accounting firms (see Achievement Criteria 7).

12. Principals, vice principals, professors or associate professors of world-renowned schools of music, fine arts, or arts (see Achievement Criteria 8).

13. Those serving as chief conductors or tutti players in world-famous orchestras (see Achievement Criteria 9).

14. Artists who did solo performances in world-famous operas (see Achievement Criteria 10) or concert halls (see Achievement Criteria 11).

15. Winners of the highest individual awards in famous literature prizes (see Achievement Criteria 12), famous film, television and drama prizes (see Achievement Criteria 13), famous music prizes (see Achievement Criteria 14) or famous advertisement prizes (see Achievement Criteria 15);  winners of the grand awards of category I contests, the first prizes or the individual awards of category II contests in world famous arts competitions (see Achievement Criteria 16), or those that served as judges of the above-mentioned awards and competitions.

16. Famous athletes who ranked top eight in the Olympic Games or in the World Cup, World Championship or other international sport events (see Achievement Criteria 17) with a certain sport included into the Olympic Games in the last two sessions, or who ranked top three in the Asian Games or the Asian Cup or Asian Championship with a certain sport included into the Asian Games in the last sessions; head coaches or key members of the coaching teams responsible for the training of above-mentioned famous athletes.

17. Those who held  positions above the ministerial level in foreign government institutions or senior leadership positions in famous international or non-governmental organizations (see AchievementCriteria 18).

18. Winners of world and national expertise competitions or professionals specialized in training for the competitive events; -superexcellent talents holding the highest professional skill certificates internationally acknowledged or professional skill certificates for China's senior technician.

(III) Foreign talents meeting the requirements for market-oriented encouraged jobs

1. Personnel with senior management or technical positions, employed by state-owned enterprises or their secondary subsidiaries, global or regional headquarters of world top 500 enterprises, national high-tech enterprises (accredited by the department of science and technology above provincial level) or large enterprises (see Achievement Criteria 19).

2. Personnel with senior management or technical positions, who work in the state accredited corporate engineering research centers (accredited by the department of development and reform), engineering laboratories (accredited by the department of development and reform), engineering technology research centers (accredited by the department of science and technology), enterprise technology centers (accredited by economic sectors  and the department of information technology) or local technological innovation service platforms (accredited by the department of science and technology).

3. Personnel with senior management or technical positions employed by medium-sized enterprises at home and abroad (see Achievement Criteria 19), or chairmen, legal representatives, general managers or chief technical experts employed by small foreign-invested enterprises that comply with the encouraged industries listed in the Catalogue for the Guidance of Industries for Foreign Investment or the Catalogue of Priority Industries for Foreign Investment in the Central-Western Regions. 4. Personnel who hold higher senior management positions, or  serve as associate professors or associate researchers in colleges and universities or scientific research institutions;  senior lecturers, senior internship instructors or other professional personnel above sub-senior level in vocational colleges.

5. Professional personnel who hold senior management positions or positions above sub-senior level in domestic Grade-A tertiary general hospitals, municipal specialized hospitals above sub-provincial level or foreign-funded hospitals.

6. Chief conductors, artistic directors and chief prayers working in domestic first-class orchestras or other artistic groups (see Achievement Criteria 20).

7. The chief editors,  deputy editor-in-chiefs, chief announcers, senior hosts, planning directors, layout directors or other personnel holding senior management or technical positions  in the central or local mainstream media (see Achievement Criteria 21).

8. Main athletes, head coaches or core members of coaching staff employed by national or provincial sports teams or clubs.

9. Foreign talent whose average wage income is not less than 6 times of the average social wage income of the previous year in the region.

 (IV) Innovation and entrepreneurship talents

1. Founders of enterprises that have invested with the major technological inventions, patents, or other proprietary intellectual properties or technologies, and had a stable investment for three consecutive years, with their actual  total investment to the enterprises not less than USD 500,000 and personal shares not less than 30%.

2. Corporate chairmen, legal representatives, general managers or chief technical experts who have invested with major technological inventions, patents or some other proprietary intellectual properties or technologies  , and had an annual sales of more than RMB 10 million or annual tax of more than RMB 1 million for three consecutive years.

3. Personnel holding senior management or technical positions, employed by units in the list of innovative enterprises or that of scientific and technological occupations formulated by relevant provincial departments.

 (V) Outstanding young talents

Young talents under 40 years old, who are engaged in postdoctoral research in foreign (overseas) high-level universities or universities within the territory of China;

 (VI) Those whose  scoring points achieve higher than 85 .

II. Foreign Professionals (Category B)

Foreign professionals who comply with the guidance catalogue and meet the job requirements for foreigners working in China, are urgently needed for China's economic and social development and meet one of the following conditions, shall be classified as Category B.

 (I) Foreign professionals with bachelor's degree or above and 2 years or more related working experiences, who meet one of the following provisions:

1. Managers or professional technicians engaged in scientific research, teaching or management, etc. in such special fields as education, scientific research, news, publishing, culture, art, health, sports and so on.

2. Personnel who execute agreements between Chinese and foreign governments, agreements between international organizations, or economic and trade contracts or engineering technology contracts between China and foreign countries. The age limit for personnel dispatched by world-renowned academic institutions or international scientific and educational organizations shall be relaxed in accordance with the terms of inter-governmental exchange and cooperation agreements.

3. Personnel employed by representative offices of international organizations in China or representatives of overseas expert organizations in China.

4. The employees above the intermediate level dispatched by multinational companies or the chief representatives and representatives of the resident representative offices of foreign enterprises in China.

5. Foreign management personnel or professional technical personnel employed by various enterprises, public institutions, social organizations, etc.

 (II) Skilled talents holding internationally accepted vocational skill certificates or urgently needed.

 (III) Foreign language teachers. Foreign language teachers should, in principle, be engaged in the teaching of their mother tongue, and have obtained a bachelor's degree or above with  at least 2 years of language teaching experience. Among them, those who have obtained a bachelor's degree or above in education, language or teacher training, or have obtained a  teaching certificate in their own countries, or an equivalent international language teaching certificate, can be exempt from the requirements of work experience.

 (IV) Foreign talent whose average wage income is not less than 4 times of the average social wage income of the previous year in the region.

 (V) Specialized personnel or projects implementers, who conform to the regulations of relevant state departments.

 (VI) Professionals whose  scoring points achieve higher than60.

III. Ordinary Foreigners (Category C)

Other foreigner personnel that meet the needs of domestic labor market and comply with the provisions of national policies shall fall into Category C, mainly including:

 (I) Foreign personnel that meet the current regulations for foreigners working in China;

 (II) Foreigner personnel that work temporary or for a short-term (no more than 90 days);

 (III) The personnel subject to quota management, including foreign youths who come to China for internship according to intergovernmental agreements, international students or foreign graduates from overseas universities that meet corresponding  conditions, or foreigners working in special fields such as offshore fishing, etc.

Annex 1: Table of Points Assignment (Interim Version)

Annex 2: Accreditation Criteria for Universally Accepted Professional Achievements of High-end Foreign Talents