To set up a reasonable and practical foreign talents assessment system which focuses on ability, achievements and contribution and highlights market demand and value reflected in market evaluation and international peer evaluation  (see the Classification Criteria for Recognition of Professional Achievement of High-end Foreign Talents, hereinafter referred to as the Achievement Criteria), by the combined application of the points system (see the Integral Points Score Table), the Work Guide Directory for Foreigners, the labor market test and quota management, foreign workers will be divided into three categories A, B and C for corresponding classified management.

I. High-end Foreign Talents (Category A)
Category A foreign talents, subject of the "green channel"and "admissible absence for procedure" services, include scientists, science and technology leading talents, international entrepreneurs, special talents and other foreign high-end talents urgently needed in the economic and social development of China who fall in line with the national priority list for foreign talents and any of the following conditions:

(A) Selected for the Domestic Talents Programs
(See the Achievement Criteria 1) identified by the competent department of human resources above the provincial level or above and ratified by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs

(B) Conforming to the international criteria of professional achievement
1. Nobel Prize Winner (Awards of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Economics)

2. Winners of the following awards: the US National Science Medal; the US National Technological Innovation Medal; Award for Science of the National Research Center of France; the UK Royal Gold Medal; Copley Medal; Turing Award; Fields Award; Wolff Mathematics Award; Abel Award; Lasker Award; Crawford Award; Japan Prize; Kyoto Prize; Shaw Prize; famous architectural awards (see Achievement Criteria 2); famous industrial design awards (see Achievement Criteria 3)

3. Academicians of National Academy of Sciences, Academy of Engineering

4. Members of ISO and other internationally renowned academic institutions (see the Achievement Criteria 4) and other science and education international organizations

5. Directors and senior research fellows from national research institutes and national labs

6. Project leaders, chief scientists and key members of national science and technology programs

7. Former chief editors, deputy editors and senior members of international high-level scientific and technical journals (JCR Collection 1 and 2)

8. Publishing 3 papers as the first author or the corresponding author (including the contributed equally author) in high-level international sci-tech journals (JCR I and II)

9. Former middle or senior administrators, professors, associate professors of foreign or overseas high-level universities

10. Former senior managers, key R & D members of the headquarters, deputy general managers or above and R & D chief of the second tier branches or regional headquarters of the world top 500 companies (see Achievement Criteria 5)

11. Former senior managers of well-known international financial institutions (see the Achievement Criteria 6) and international accounting firms (see the Achievement Criteria 7)

12. Directors, deputy directors, professors and associate professors of world famous colleges of music, fine arts, and arts (see the Achievement Criteria 8)

13. Chief conductors and vocal performers of the world's leading orchestra (see the Achievement Criteria 9)

14. Artists who have held individual performances and shows at world famous opera houses (see the Achievement Criteria 10) or concert halls (see the Achievement Criteria 11)

15. Winners of the highest individual awards of famous literature awards (see the Achievement Criteria 12), famous film, television and drama Awards (see the Achievement Criteria 13), famous music awards (see the Achievement Criteria 14), famous advertisement awards (see the Achievement Criteria 15), the top class award or the first prize in the first class contests or individual awards in the second class contests of famous international art competition (see the Achievement Criteria 16) or judges of the above-listed awards and contests

16. Athletes listed in the top eight in the Olympic Games or the last two sessions of the World Cup, World Championships and other important international events (see Achievement Criteria 17), which are included in the Olympic Games; athletes listed in the top three in the Asian Games or the last two sessions of Asian Cup and Asian Championships, which are included in the Asian Games; the head coaches or the core members of the coaching team responsible for training the above-listed athletes

17. Former leaders (ministers or above) of foreign governmental departments; former senior leaders of famous international organizations or non-government institutions (see the Achievement Criteria 18)

18.  Winners of world and national skills contest or professionals engaged in the training for the contests; highly skilled personnel with the highest international vocational qualification certificates or senior technician qualification certificates of China

(C) Foreign talents fulfilling the market demand for government-encouraged posts
1. Talents appointed for senior management or technical posts in central enterprises and their subsidiaries, the global or regional headquarters of the world top 500 enterprises, national high-tech enterprises (subject to ratification by the technical department above the provincial level) and large companies (see the Achievement Criteria 19)

2. Senior managers or technical staff of business engineering research centers recognized by development reform departments, engineering labs recognized by development reform departments, engineering technology research center recognized by science and technology departments, business technology centers recognized by economic and information agencies and local technical innovation service platforms recognized by science and technology departments

3. Senior managers or technical staff employed by domestic and foreign medium-sized businesses (see the Achievement Criteria 19); the chairman of the board, the legal representative, general manager or the chief technical specialist appointed by small-sized foreign-invested businesses in line with the government-encouraged industries specified under "Foreign Invested Industries Guide Catalog" and "Catalog of Foreign Invested Competitive Industries in the Central and Western Regions"

4. Foreign talents appointed to senior management posts or as associate professor, associate research fellow by higher education institutions and research institutions; senior lecturers, senior internship tutors and other deputy senior or above technical professional personnel appointed by vocational colleges

5. Foreign talents appointed to senior management posts or deputy senior (or above) professional technical posts by the first class domestic comprehensive hospitals, sub-provincial (or above) specialist hospitals or foreign hospitals

6. Chief conductor, artistic director and chief performer employed by first-class domestic orchestra and other arts organizations (see the Achievement Criteria 20)

7. Staff at senior management or technical positions such as editor-in-chief, deputy editor, chief announcer, senior moderator, planning director, layout supervisor employed by central and local mainstream media (see the Achievement Criteria 21)

8. Major players, coaches or core member of the coaching team employed by national and provincial sports teams or clubs

9. Foreign talents whose salary income is 6 times or higher than the local average annual income of the previous year. For Shanghai, salary income should be 600000 RMB or higher and personal income tax 120000 RMB or higher.

(D) Innovative and entrepreneurial talents
1. Business founders who contribute with major technological inventions, patents and other independent intellectual property rights or proprietary technology and have stable investment for three consecutive years with the actual investment in the business not less than 500,000 US dollars and individual shares not less than 30%

2. The chairman, the legal representative, the general manager, or the chief technical specialist who contribute with major technological inventions, patents and other independent intellectual property rights or proprietary technology of the business with the annual sales more than 10 million or the annual tax more than 1 million yuan for three consecutive years

3. Talents at senior management or technical posts employed by businesses listed by the competent provincial department as innovative business or scientific innovation industry

(E) Outstanding young talents
Young talents under the age of 40 who are engaged in post-doctoral research in high-level foreign (overseas) universities or domestic universities

(F) Graded 85 points or more in the points-based system

II. Foreign professional talents (category B)
Foreign professionals in line with the "Foreigners Employed in China Guide Catalog" and the corresponding demands of the economic and social development of China who fall within any of the following conditions shall be classified into Category B:

(A)Foreign professionals with a bachelor degree or above and 2 years and above related work experience and fall within any of the following descriptions:
1.Administrators or technical personnel engaged in the posts of research, teaching and administration in the fields of education, research, news, publishing, culture, art, health, sports and other special areas

2.Personnel under the intergovernmental agreements between China and foreign countries, international inter-organization agreements, economic and engineering contracts between China and other countries and personnel dispatched by well-known international academic institutions and international science and education organizations shall have more flexible age restriction.

3.Staff employed by the representative offices of international organizations in China and representatives of the representative offices of overseas experts organizations in China

4.Middle or above managers dispatched by multinational businesses; the chief representative or the representative of the resident offices of foreign businesses in China

5.Foreign managers or technical professionals employed by businesses, institutions and social organizations

(B)Skilled talents with internationally recognized qualification certificates or in short supply

(C)Teachers of foreign languages. Teachers of foreign languages generally shall be engaged in the teaching of their native languages and shall have a bachelor's degree or higher degree and language teaching experience of at least two years. Those who have had degrees in the field of education, language or teaching, or have acquired a qualification certificate of teaching at their own countries or a recognized international certificate of language teaching shall be exempted from the restriction on work experience.

(D)Skilled talents with qualification certificates , with an average salary income 300000 RMB or higher  and personal income tax 120000 RMB or higher.

(E)Special personnel under the relevant state regulations or for the implementation of special projects

(F)Professionals graded 60 points or more according to the points-based system

III. Other foreigners (Category C)
Foreigners employed to meet the demand of the domestic labor market in line with the state policies and regulations are hereby classified into Category C. This category includes:
1. Foreign employees in line with the relevant regulations concerning the employment of foreigners in China;

2. Foreigners engaged in some temporary or short-term (no longer than 90 days) posts;

3. Foreigners under the quota system management, including young foreigners coming to China for internship under intergovernmental agreements, foreign students in line with the relevant regulations, foreign graduates from overseas institutions of higher learning, foreigners engaged in long range fishing and other special fields.