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 July 2013, 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 the Ministry 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 favorable 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.
Cumquat market in S China's Guangxi
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