Beijing residence permits updated

Beijing plans to launch a new residence permit for the floating population and foreign residents by the end of this year, which may provide more public services for holders than the current temporary permit system, according to the municipal government.

"We are waiting for the results of surveys to make detailed policy changes, such as how to apply for the permit and whether an address will be required for application," Liu Jingming, a deputy mayor of Beijing, said on Wednesday.

The survey covers population size, resident ages, careers, and difficulties faced, among others.

Currently, those without a Beijing hukou, or an official permanent residence permit in China, including expats, are required to apply for a temporary residence permit.

According to Beijing's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), the local government will take strict steps to control the capital's fast-growing population and ease pressure in the central urban districts.

"The residence permit is related to the nation's population management policy, so we have to solicit opinions from different areas. The policies to be issued this year are still under improvement," Liu said.

The Annual Report on Analysis of Beijing Society-Building, published by the Social Sciences Academic Press last year, said that population growth is the biggest worry for Beijing during this five-year plan.

In a move to reduce the pressure caused by the growing population, a series of measures have been taken to reduce newcomers. For example, as of last year fewer college graduates are to be granted a Beijing hukou.

However, experts deemed this move a positive measure to attract more talent from across the nation.

"I don't think the aim is only to control the population, but to attract more talented people to Beijing by providing more public services, such as social insurance, medical service, and schooling for children," Lin Xinqi, director of the Human Resources Department of the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times Thursday.

Differing from the temporary residency permit, which is mainly for migrant workers, this permit will be granted to the entire floating population.

"The permit, which requires more personal details but provides more services, will enable the local government to better manage the population in the capital," Lin said.

The Sixth National Population Census showed that by 2011, nearly 35.9 percent of Beijing's permanent residents had migrated there from other regions in China.

"If we can enjoy equal rights as locals in this big city, I think it will be a good policy, no matter if it's temporary or permanent. I just hope that they won't set many thresholds in the application," Chen Xuanfeng, an animation studio employee in Beijing, told the Global Times Thursday.