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Chinese to implement 5 year visas for foreigners to stimulate knowledge migrants

While the Dutch government is concerned about how to bind its non-EU graduates to the Netherlands in a bid to fill the gap that is developing in the source of knowledge workers, the Chinese government has just announced planes to drastically relax its visa regulations for knowledge migrants.

Foreign knowledge migrants will soon be able to receive Chinese visas valid for up to 5 years, if the draft regulation goes through as planned. The resolution will introduce two new types of visa for the foreign professionals, that China says it urgently needs, according to Saturday's edition of China Daily.

According to Wang Huiyao, Director of the centre for China and Globalisation, "The regulations will especially attract those professionals who are employed in other countries however wish to spend some time working in China." 

The new so-named R1 visa will be a standard residence card issued for up to 5 years for a knowledge migrant, whilst the R2 visa will allow foreign professionals multi-entry and stays for wok of up to 180 days.

It seems that many countries across the world are currently concerned about their competitiveness and future growth due to a lack of skilled and qualified young professionals. In the Netherlands this currently means that international graduated from Dutch Universities are allowed to stay and work in the Netherlands, whilst oversees graduates have an easier visa process to come to Holland and work.

The trend to attract foreign professionals is however contradicted by an ever growing number of young people unemployed, or "not active" across the world, and gives rise to a debate on the type and quality of education offered to both local and international students. For this reason, Wittenborg University's Bachelor IBA in Hospitality Management is maybe preferable to a general Bachelor in Business. All Wittenborg's BBA programmes require students t specialise in a profession.

One further area of concern in the Netherlands is the number of young entrepreneurs being attracted to start their own companies, and programmes such as Wittenborg's Bachelor Entrepreneurial Business Administration, that combines starting a business with study, are aimed at improving the situation.

WUP 6/5/2013

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