New Visa Regulations: Great for Hong Kong and Taiwanese Workers!

2018-08-07

This week China has abolished the ‘work permit system’ which was put in place to protect the jobs of Chinese people from outside emigration. However, the residents of Hong Kong and Taiwan were not included in this and needed a permit to work in China. China no longer requires them to go through this lengthy and tiring process.

Now, Hong Kong and Taiwan residents are free to change jobs, industries and move to a new house without worrying about having to apply for a new work permit. This is great news; finding a new apartment to rent can be stressful enough!

What was the process like previously?

Before the recent amendment, Taiwanese and Hong Kong residents had to file a large amount of paperwork in order to work in mainland China. This would involve applying for a work permit, which could be as many as fifteen separate documents. These permits were a real barrier for many workers wanting to move to China for work or to change jobs. This was heightened because they needed a new permit for every job they changed to.

What is the history between China and Hong Kong/Taiwan?

Hong Kong has a long history with China and famously was leased to Great Britain in 1842.  In 1997, Britain’s lease on Hong Kong ended and today, it is part of the Chinese ‘One Country, Two Sytems’ policy. This agreement means that although Hong Kong is not considered to be an independent country, it is allowed to act as one. Since then it has been very successful with a booming tourism industry, a limited form of government and its own stock exchange.

Taiwan also has a complex history with China. In many ways, it acts as an independent country with a government elected democratically, its own economy, creates many trading deals and has its own currency. However, after the Chinese Civil war, its position as a completely independent country from mainland China remains a grey area. In many ways its an area similar Hong Kong with their own system.