Shanghai's Jing'an district has completed the cross-regional mobility registration for foreign talent at the Nantong Government Service Hall on Jan 5, with the entire process taking less than two hours. The efficient handling was made possible through full-process guidance provided by a specialist from the Shanghai Jing'an District Talent Service Center.

The case marks the first time such a registration has been handled in Jing'an and across Shanghai under the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) "specialist accompaniment, cross-provincial coordinated processing" model, representing a further upgrade in the district's international talent services.

In December 2025, the Jing'an District Talent Service Center learned that William Gret Cramman, a foreign expert in Swift Technical Engineering Consultancy (Shanghai), urgently needed to relocate to his company's Nantong branch for a key project. Following the original procedure would require canceling his Shanghai work and residence permits before reapplying in Nantong, which would take 30 to 45 days and might delay the project.

Leveraging the YRD foreign talent service collaboration mechanism and with support from municipal and district talent bureaus, the Jing'an District Talent Service Center engaged with Nantong's foreign expert department. Through a collaborative platform, they conducted online document pre-screening, aligned review standards, and tailored a clear, efficient offline processing plan for the company. Then, a specialist accompanied the company representative and William to Nantong for the final steps, enabling the entire process in a single trip.

William said that he was impressed by the smooth experience, and Lexi Mao, head of Greater China at Swift Technical Engineering Consultancy (Shanghai), also expressed that the center has broken down the administrative barriers for foreign talent mobility, making their YRD business layout more flexible. More importantly, it boosted the confidence of foreign experts in developing their careers in the Yangtze River Delta.

This service innovation reflects Jing'an's targeted approach to addressing talent needs. In recent years, the district has been optimizing its talent ecosystem. In 2025, it launched the Benefits and Services Package for overseas talent, offering comprehensive services including cross-regional mobility guidance, policy interpretation, and daily life support. Jing'an aims to establish a full-circle service system featuring collaborative pre-screening, on-site accompaniment, and mutual recognition between regions, promoting the smooth flow and efficient allocation of talent within the YRD.

Looking ahead, the district plans to introduce specialized service plans for cross-regional mobility of key enterprises and high-level talent, extending the service scope from cross-provincial registration to multiple key aspects of foreign nationals' work and daily life in China.

Source: Official WeChat account of Shanghai Jing'an District Talent Service Center (ID: "jarcfw")