Brush up your Mandarin. It may just help you with visas
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THIS month, Shanghai will test a new system for foreign work visas which gives foreigners who speak Mandarin a clear advantage.
The new policy will be rolled out nationwide next April.
Never before has it been more important for expats living in China to brush up on their language skills.
I read somewhere recently that the number of foreigners living in China who can’t speak Mandarin, or any other Chinese language, is woefully low. It shocked me, to be honest, because I’ve always found the use of English quite low in China as compared with other Asian countries. It would be almost impossible — at least in my opinion — to live a fulfilling and engaging life here, even in international Shanghai, without some knowledge of Chinese language.
Everyone knows a foreigner who has been living here for years and still can’t muster a word in Shanghainese or Mandarin — I know of someone who has lived here for more than 10, yet still can’t say “hello” in the right tone! To be fair, it is a difficult language to learn and to master, especially for native English speakers.
On top of that, Shanghai is perhaps not the best place in China to learn standard Mandarin, at least when you look at the sheer amount of migrants from all over China — around 40 percent of the city’s population, at last count — with often less than standard Mandarin, and the prevalence of Shanghainese — a local dialect — which is usually heard in local markets and on the street.
And that’s without mentioning that Shanghai is the second most popular mainland destination for expats, leading to more and more opportunities for foreigners to live and work in bubbles, getting by using English or other languages. But it’s still China, and despite the local dialect, standard Mandarin is still the lingua franca here, so there are plenty of opportunities to improve your Putonghua.
And now, more than ever, that’s important, because the immigration department of Shanghai this month begins with a new work visa system which works on a point-scoring basis. Most applicants need at least 65 points, across a range of areas, to be considered under the new system. And what’s one of the areas the department will look at? You guessed it: Mandarin proficiency!
It’s all judged based on the official international standard Mandarin proficiency test, HSK, which you can sit across China and around the world. You can earn a maximum of 10 points, depending on your HSK level, which certainly makes up a sizeable chunk in your race to reach 65. Two points are yours if you only have HSK level one, which you can easily pass with just a few weeks of Mandarin classes and no other Mandarin training. You can add another two points for every level after that, up to level five, for the maximum points.
And it’s about time, I reckon, at least based on immigration policies from other countries, including my native New Zealand, where potential immigrants must prove their English language skills before they can even be considered. In China, Mandarin skills will give you more points, but not speaking a word won’t necessarily lead you out of the country next time you try to renew your work visa, but you’ll need to make up the required points in other areas.
So how can you improve your Mandarin level and earn more points next time you renew your work visa? There are many, many ways. One of my favorites is to watch local TV dramas, since the language you’ll learn is much more real and raw, as compared with textbooks. This can often make your language a little weird, depending on which traits you pick up from your viewing — I often tend to imitate old ladies!
Otherwise, you could sign up at a local university on a Chinese language program, or make some more Chinese friends. Make an effort to chat with your Chinese colleagues in Putonghua on your lunch break — that’s a valuable resource right there!
Shanghai also has many professional Chinese language schools for adults and professionals, often using small classes or one-on-one, at flexible times to fit around your busy schedule, such as GoEast in Yangpu District which also hosts free weekly social gatherings teaching foreigners how to use Chinese apps, how to play mahjong, and more.
So if you needed a kick up the butt to get your Mandarin learning back on track, there it is. Now’s definitely the time to brush up on your Mandarin skills — your ability to stay in China might just depend on it!
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