Foreigners who obtain permanent residency will have the same pension, employment and property rights as Chinese citizens, under new regulations announced on Tuesday.

Access to schools for their children will also be on par with Chinese citizens the rules endorsed by central government departments in September state.

The only rights not afforded to "green card" holders are political rights.

Foreigners with permanent residency can participate in all aspects of social insurance and avail of the benefits.

There are five types of social insurance: endowment, medical, unemployment, work-related injury and maternity.

Green card holders are exempt from a restriction that does not allow foreigners who have worked or studied less than a year in China to buy property. They can also work in China without a work permit.

Their children, of a compulsory education age, can attend a school that is near their place of residence, and they will not be charged any fees except a statutory sum.

Foreigners who have permanent residency can enjoy simplified investment and registration procedures if they want to invest in or set up a business.

Spouses and immediate family members can apply for visas, residence permits and a green card, under the regulation.

China started to grant permanent residency permits to foreigners in 2004. Since then, nearly5,000 have received the permits and many of them are high-level experts.

"The green card system has become an important mechanism to attract international expertise," the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, which helped draft the regulation, said in an explanation of the new rules on Tuesday.

The ministry acknowledged that green cards are vital for developed countries such as theUnited States and European nations to compete for global talent. The US annually grants140,000 green cards for immigrants with expertise.

China has been working hard to improve rights that green card holders can enjoy so as to get more overseas experts and professionals that are urgently needed, the ministry said.

Rhio Zablam, from the Philippines, works at a media firm in Beijing. He married a Chinese woman in 2011, and his wife is due to give birth in February.

"I've been in China for two years, and since I got married to a Chinese citizen I can apply for my green card in three years," the 34-year-old said. "The new green card policy is great news for me because I will not need to obtain a work permit anymore if I want to change my job.

"A green card will also make me feel that I am not an outsider anymore, and I really want to fully immerse myself in life in China."

China's first legislation covering the exit and entry of Chinese citizens and foreigners, the Law on the Exit and Entry Administration, which was passed in June and will take effect in July2013, allows for an increase in the number of green cards.

China may introduce policies for easier access to permanent residency permits for foreigners,according to an expert commenting on a proposed draft regulation being prepared by theMinistry of Public Security.

Liu Guofu, an immigration law specialist at the Beijing Institute of Technology, praised the new green card regulation and said such rules should have come earlier.

"China started to grant green cards in 2004 but the first batch of green card holders have only become entitled to their due rights eight years later," he said.

Liu said before the regulation, a Chinese green card mainly carried favourable entry and exit policies.

"If a green card does not bring other basic rights such as employment, pension and children's education, it will not be attractive and will not help introduce global talent," he said. "The new regulation will help foreigners have a sense of security."

In the long run, he added, China should consider granting some other rights, such as allowing green card holders to set up panels to voice their suggestions to the government.

"Now they can obtain economic and social rights as Chinese citizens do, they may ask for political rights if they live in the country for long," Liu said.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/chi ... ontent_16008014.htm

By ZHAO YINAN 
13:33, November 19, 2012

Draft gives expats path to permanent residency in China

Foreigners who live in China for 10 consecutive years may be eligible for a "greencard", according to a proposed draft regulation.



The draft, and other amendments to ease requirements for permanent residency, isbeing 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 inAugust, 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 inJuly 2013. It allows for an increase in the number of green cards.

Wang Huiyao, deputy director of China Talent Research, an institute affiliated to theMinistry 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.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90883/8024895.html

[ Last edited by  atomic3d at 13-12-2012 08:30 ]