Draft gives expats path to permanent residency in China
Foreigners who live in China for
10 consecutive years may be eligible for a "green card", according to
a proposed draft regulation.
The draft, and other amendments
to ease requirements for permanent residency, is being considered by the
Ministry of Public Security.
Liu Guofu, an immigration law
expert at the Beijing Institute of Technology, revealed that the ministry
proposed lowering the threshold for applicants at a symposium in August, and is
gauging feedback from experts.
Liu said the draft mostly targets
immigrants in the field of technology who will be able to apply for permanent
residency after living in China for 10 consecutive years, provided they have
spent at least nine months each year in the country. They must be employed,
have accommodation and a good tax record. The success of their application will
no longer be dependent on the position they hold.
Current regulations require
applicants, in the technological sector, to hold a position of deputy general
manager or associate professor (or higher) for at least four successive years.
If the draft is approved, more
foreigners will be eligible to apply for a green card.
Qu Yunhai, a senior official at
the Ministry of Public Security, said in October that his department is working
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to draft a document that could result in
more permanent residency permits being issued, China News Service reported.
The Ministry of Public Security
confirmed that the draft document is being prepared but did not provide further
information due to the sensitivity of the issue.
China started to grant permanent
residency permits to foreigners in 2004. Since then more than 4,700 foreigners
have received permits.
Beijing police said that out of
about 850 foreigners who had applied for the permits, more than 780
applications had been approved by mid-October.
China approved about 248
applications in the technological sector annually from 2004 to 2011, a rather
low rate for a country eager for expertise, Liu said.
The stringent requirements are
part of the reason for the low numbers, Liu said.
"The current method of
evaluating a foreigner's contribution to China by the rank of his post is
one-sided and also deters overseas expertise from coming," he said.
Other than assessing the rank of
applicants, he suggested the government classify foreigners by sectors and list
the most required skills needed for potential immigrants.
As for investment immigration,
where applicants set up a commercial enterprise, Liu said the draft also
proposes reducing the investment criteria.
China's first legislation
covering the exit and entry of Chinese citizens and foreigners, the Law on the
Exit and Entry Administration, was passed in June and will take effect in July
2013. It allows for an increase in the number of green cards.
Wang Huiyao, deputy director of
China Talent Research, an institute affiliated to the Ministry of Human
Resources and Social Security, said the government is also planning to broaden
the use of green cards.
He said the human resources
authority will soon release a document that allows green card holders to enjoy
equal rights as Chinese citizens, except for the right to elect and be elected.
He said the document was signed
this month and will be introduced possibly as early as December.
Under the new document, green
card holders will be able to use the card as a travel certificate, such as
checking in at hotels, he said.
"Most importantly, it's
expected to eventually build a personal network by associating the user's bank
account, insurance account and medical care account with the permit. That makes
life easier for foreigners," he said.
Emilie Bourgois, a public
relations manager in Beijing, has been studying and working in the country for
more than four years.
She said it is sensible to
require a minimum of 10 years, since China is among the "hottest
destinations" in the world.
Green cards provide foreigners
with a sense of security, especially for those married with children.
"Green card applicants
usually have devoted a big chunk of their life to China and deserve the
convenience of permanent residency," she said.
Zhao Yinan
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