Virginia, US
China will transition to a new Unified Work Authorization Policy effective 1 April, 2017. This Policy is intended to attract highly-skilled foreign nationals and standardize the new online application process. We have been working with clients since the announcement of the changes to ensure that clients are registered for the new system before April 1. If you have still not registered you should do so immediately to avoid possible delays in application filing. We expect registration times to increase.
On 15 March the city of Shanghai announced that it will move to the new system on 27 March, ahead of the 1 April general release. We expect other cities to do the same. We will monitor and post updates and other announcements about the new system on this blog.
Our experience to date indicates that there are some advantages in the new system for clients in terms of greater consistency in decision making. However, the new process has a significantly increased focus on supporting documentation and many clients will experience a significant increase in processing times (from a few months in the past to 6-8 months in the immediate future). There will also be additional complexity in the process and considerable teething problems in the new process and on line system.
We also expect considerable confusion and inconsistency with the authorities as the process is implemented which will add to delays.