It’s getting a little easier for Beijing expats with new regulations that are to smooth the process towards getting a residence permit.
Starting last Saturday, waiting times for a resident permit in Beijing have been reduced from 15 days to ten, thereby reducing the time applicants have to part with their passports. Che Yan, director of the bureau’s Administration Department of the Exit-Entry Department of the municipal Public Security Bureau, said the improved service is due to more staff using better technology. All necessary material for a resident permit application will not change. Applicants are expected to provide the relevant passports, photographs, and forms, as well as fees, which remain the same.
But that’s not all. Although there’s always the option to renew applications annually in order to keep living in the city, some Beijing expats are now being offered the privilege of being awarded resident permits that would allow holders to live in the city from two to five years.
If that sounds really appealing, Beijing expats should know that Chinese authorities are only giving these out to a specific kind of expat. Liu Jiewei, a police officer responsible for handling foreigners’ visas, explained that these recent reforms are targeted towards foreigners holding positions ranked from vice-president and up in overseas investment enterprises, or who are technology experts with companies at Beijing’s Zhongguancun Science Park, or are members of either the government-backed 1,000 Talent Plan or the national Recruitment Program of Global Experts.
Aside from that, foreign experts can also apply for a multiple-visit or talent visa that permits expats to reside in China for not more than 180 days on each visit, Liu said.
The reforms are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changes made to permanent resident permits, otherwise known as “green cards”, through which China has been looking to attract wealthy and highly-skilled foreigners.
Green card restrictions were again relaxed this past June, but only for expats of a certain caliber, allowing foreigners who are deputy professors, researchers or above and have worked for at least four years and lived in China for three years with good tax records to be eligible. As well, expats in Shanghai were allowed to apply for permanent residence permits after living in the city for just four years provided they are in a high tax bracket.
Held only by a small minority of the expat population, a Chinese green card gives foreigners the right to reside in China indefinitely. A green card holder will be able to enter and exit China with only a passport and the green card itself without ever needing to apply for a visa ever again. Furthermore, a Chinese green card gives expats all the rights that Chinese citizens currently enjoy, allowing for home ownership and public school enrollment.
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