Visa and green card rules will be eased for outstanding graduates from top foreign universities who come to work in Shanghai, police said yesterday.

Such graduates, providing they meet the criteria required, will be able to apply for a two-year residence permit in Shanghai within two years after graduation and to apply for a Chinese green card after working in the city for three years.

This is one of the new visa policies to be implemented in Shanghai this year aimed at attracting more foreign talent to the city with regard to its ambition of becoming a global technology and innovation hub.