A five-year work and residence permit for foreign legal professionals employed by law firms in China was issued on Sept 29 in Changning district, marking the first of its kind in Shanghai as the city continues enhancing its business environment.

"Before this, we could hardly arrange any overseas trips during the month required for the annual visa application, which significantly affected our international business," said Benjamin Bai, international partner at King & Wood Mallesons in Shanghai. "Even domestic travel during that period was inconvenient."

As a Chinese American who has worked in Shanghai since 2009, Bai said that Shanghai's work permit breakthrough is "extremely meaningful", noting that his special visa application was processed in just a week.

The initiative responds to growing demand for improved legal services involving foreign professionals working and living in China. It streamlines applications by allowing law firms to secure recommendation letters from judicial authorities and collaborate with other departments through online pre-approval and joint processing.

The reform also allows law firms to extend work permits for foreign legal professionals for up to five years, eliminating the need for repeated in-person renewals.

Law firms that have already held work permits for foreign lawyers for more than a year can now extend them directly without reapplying annually.

Changning district has pledged to further such reforms, aiming to foster a stronger legal business environment and support the development of Shanghai-based law firms.

Source: WeChat account of Shanghai Changning media center at "shchangning"