Independent immigration blog Ikky-in-China published its monthly policy round-up on 23 February 2026, flagging several changes that directly affect foreign professionals and the companies that employ them. The most consequential is Shanghai’s decision to raise the minimum annual salary for Category-A work-permit holders to RMB 650,000 — a 15 % increase designed to match the city’s median wage growth and attract what officials call ‘truly high-end talent’. Across multiple provinces, exit-entry bureaux are also rolling out stricter document authentication. Starting next month, degree certificates and police clearances submitted for Z-visa and residence-permit applications must carry both origin-country apostilles and Chinese embassy legalisations, closing a loophole that previously allowed either method. Employers are being told to budget an extra two to three weeks for paperwork and to update tax declarations so that remuneration shown in labour contracts aligns with new threshold tables. Companies that fail to adjust risk having renewal applications rejected; early February saw several cases in Guangzhou where HR departments submitted outdated salary figures and were asked to restart the process. Mobility advisers recommend pre-filing electronic copies on the national ‘Foreigner Work Management’ platform to flag discrepancies before physical submission. On the positive side, Beijing has quietly piloted an online appointment system that lets foreign employees in eight major cities extend residence permits without returning to their home country for a new visa, a change long sought by multinational assignees. If successful, the service is expected to go nationwide by late 2026. Taken together, February’s updates signal a policy posture that is simultaneously open — via expanding visa waivers for tourists — and exacting when it comes to long-term employment immigration. HR teams should review contract templates, ensure payroll systems can generate bilingual income statements and prepare to brief executives on longer lead-times for new hires.
Source: Ikky-in-China blog
