Record permanent residencies granted

China has granted permanent residency to a record number of foreigners since April and pledges to further streamline applications for global talent, the newly formed State Immigration Administration said.

A total of 1,881 have been granted the status over the past two months, about the total for all of last year, the administration said on June 5. About 1 million foreigners lived in China last year, double the number in 2000.

The Chinese government’s Made in China 2025 plan to upgrade the country’s manufacturing capacity entails attracting top talent.

The administration, officially set up in April, said those granted permanent resident status in the past two months include Nobel laureates, leading researchers, entrepreneurs, top managerial staff and their families.

To draw global talent and facilitate development, China will continue reforming the sector and expand channels for applications, the administration said.

It will also team up with other departments to help permanent residents handle affairs such as finance, education, healthcare, transportation and social security.

The administration was formed following the central government’s decision to deepen the reform of government institutions in March, with the aim of improving the country’s immigration management and providing better services to foreigners.

The new administration has integrated the entry and exit management and frontier inspection departments from the Ministry of Public Security, but is still under the ministry’s management.