"China Launching a 5-Year Work Permit for Foreigners"

Added March 22, 2017 at 16:44 pm

The information in this article is quite misleading, and the headline is outright false. You're confusing Work Permits (from the Labor Bureau) with Residence Permits (from the Public Security Bureau, which is under the MPS). To be clear, the MPS has no authority over Work Permits. What the announcement does say is that the MPS can now issue 5 year work category Residence Permits 有效期5年以内的工作累居留许可. BUT, it would be unwise to assume any foreigner could walk into the PSB and apply for one of these though. You'd need to be approved for a 5 year Work Permit before you could apply for the Residence Permit. Since the Labor Bureau doesn't often give 5 year Work Permits, the average foreigner will not likely be able to apply for the 5 year work category Residence Permit.