China grants green card holders key rights

China is considering giving more "green cards" to foreign nationals who want to stay in the country permanently. A move to encourage more international talents to invest in China, and also meet the needs of foreign nationals who wish to permanently reside in the country.

And in hopes of better helping expat integrate into local community, the government has introduced a new regulation which now allows foreign permanent residents or Chinese "green card" holders to enjoy the same benefits as Chinese citizens. Our reporter Li Qiuyuan spoke with one Beijing expat to find out how this would affect his life.

David Ramirez has been living in Beijing for 5 years. The passion for Chinese culture has brought him here from Cuba. He now works as a Spanish news editor, but the life as a "Beijing expat" as he describes it, could sometimes be tricky.

David Ramirez, Beijing expat, said,"The amount of money you have to pay when you are sick, even if you have the medical insurance now as a foreign expert is crazy, and the fact that you have to look for international school for your children, and when you are renewing your temporal resident visa, you have to go through a lot of paper work, could sometimes really bothers you."

And David is not alone. There are estimated 600,000 foreigners living in China, and only some 4,700 expats have been granted permanent residency since the "green card" system was introduced in 2004…a drop in the bucket, compared to the US which issued over 1 million green cards last year alone.

But the good news is China is about to relax the restriction of granting green cards, and a new regulation recently introduced by 25 ministries in the country now guarantees holders' key rights.

Li Qiuyuan, Beijing, said,"The new regulation introduced by the Chinese government basically allows foreign permanent residents or Chinese green card holders to enjoy the same benefits as Chinese citizens, from employment and investment to housing, social insurance, and even education for their children, the ultimate goal is to make life easier for them living here in China. "

The green card system has become an important mechanism to attract international expertise for China. According to Ministry of Public Security, a new law regarding the exit and entry of Chinese citizens and foreigners, which is expected to take effect in July 2013, will allow for easier access to permanent residency.

David Ramirez said,"It's not like foreigners are going to take over Chinese jobs, they can also be job creators, creating new enterprises, new ideas and new businesses, it will be a win-win situation."

And while the current policy limits eligibility mainly to high-level foreign personnel or foreign nationals who make relatively large direct investment in China, the draft mostly targets immigrants in the field of technology, who will be eligible to apply after living in China for 10 consecutive years, provided they have spent at least 9 months each year in the country with accommodation and a good tax record.

The success of their application will no longer be solely dependent on the position they hold.