China reduces visas as foreigners seek local jobs

By Gerald H. Franklin
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, April 25, 2013
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China is proving to be the new promised land for millions around the world who are desperately searching for jobs in economies that are still gasping for air.

In 2008 China’s Visa Bureau issued over 30,000,000 visas to foreigners but that number in 2012 was less than 14,000,000 which included almost 600,000 student visas, 12.4 million tourist, and approximately 1 million business visas. It is this last category that also includes some 8,000 visas granted for foreign interns working in China.

The new leadership of China has announced that visa policies will become more restrictive to protect local job markets and prevent brain drain from visiting recruiters who come to visit on tourist or business visas but then induce growing numbers of Chinese students to study abroad.

This deception is affecting thousands of foreign job seekers who are trying to get their foot in the door of China’s recent employment boom as explained in this article. http://open.salon.com/blog/china_business_central/2013/04/10/new_graduates_finding_jobs_via_china_back_door_internships

By 2015 it is forecast by the ICC that 50% of MNCs operating in China will be hiring 30% of their global work force in China in order to reduce their personnel costs and tax liabilities.

Few HR directors want to comment about this controversial subject but one who works for a large Fortune 500 consumer good company who did not want to be named, said "We can no longer afford to hire our executive staffs back in America until the economy fully recovers and China provides us an economical alternative."

Since these large MNC’s give preference to native English- speaking Americans, Canadians, and Brits, for the highest paying management positions, local Chinese candidates are angry and in response their government has responded by further reducing the visa quotas.

To avoid this controversial problem, companies are now offering "unpaid internships" for 3-6 months which are undesirable to local Chinese but give foreigners a chance to obtain full and part-time employment with the world’s largest companies after completing their internships.

Corporate registrar companies like GI2C, China Express, and China Job Central are now overloaded with resumes from western applicants all competing for prized positions that are filled within 24-48 hours of being announced At present approximately 20% of interns are being hired upon completing their internships.

These placement odds are much better than back in their homeland where only 8% of job applicants are being hired in America, 10% in Canada and 11% in the U.K.

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