HAIKOU, July 14. /TASS/. Hainan will provide highly qualified foreign specialists and their families with a temporary residence permit of up to five years or a permanent residence permit, announced the island's office for international economic development. 

In particular, according to official statement, specialists in the field of high technology and management, whose knowledge and skills are necessary in key areas of Hainan's economic development, will be eligible. In order to obtain a residence permit, they will need a recommendation from the provincial human resources department. If the application is approved, a permit will also be granted to their spouses and underage children.

Moreover, residence permits on Hainan can be obtained by foreign entrepreneurs who have been investing for three years in innovative enterprises in the province and have complied with fiscal laws, as well as other persons who have worked continuously on the island for four years and paid income tax to the local treasury.

A temporary residence permit is available for foreign staff who work in caring for the sick and elderly, as well as technical specialists. In particular, Hainan welcomes professional chefs to work in the island's first-class hotels and medical workers for the pilot zone of international medical tourism Boao Lecheng. Also, patients undergoing treatment on the island, as well as family members accompanying them, are eligible for a temporary residence. Another category of foreign citizens who can apply is Chinese universities' graduates who are planning to work in an innovative business on Hainan. The temporary residence permit's validity is limited by the term of an employee’s contract or the duration of a patient’s treatment.

In order to intensify the activities of strategically important enterprises of Hainan's free trade port, the local authorities established a preferential income tax for specialists in demand, including foreign highly qualified personnel, with a maximum rate of 15%. The preferential tax rate will be maintained until the end of 2024. It is expected to boost the development of a number of industries important for the provincial economy, which the central government in Beijing plans to turn into an analogue of Singapore and the South Korean island of Jeju.