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Chinese "Green" Card

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Paul Todd:
China's Green Card gaining popularity 5 years on.  

Updated: 06 Aug 2009
The creation of a Chinese Green Card in 2004 was a milestone in the country's immigration law. Five years on, the card is an increasingly sought-after document.
On August 15, 2004, the Regulations on Examination and Approval of Permanent Residence of Aliens in China created a Green Card system granting qualified foreigners the right to live in China permanently.

Liu Lili, who works in the Exit and Entry Administration of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, has watched the Green Card system develop since its inception. She said nearly all applications received by the Bureau are approved. So far, 323 people have been granted a "Green Card" qualifying them for permanent residence in Beijing. Another 15 are awaiting final approval. It takes around 6 months to process each application.

Of the 323 Green Card holders, 94 are wives or husbands of Chinese citizens; 50 are minors dependent on their parents; 20 are senior citizens returning to live with relatives; 114 are individuals who have made outstanding contributions or are of special importance to China (another 7 are their family members); and 23 are high-level foreign personnel who hold posts in businesses (another 15 are their family members).

Liu said the authorities had been granting residence to returning senior citizens for some time before the Green Card system was formally launched. The government has approved permanent residence for over 3,000 foreigners since the implementation of the Law on Control of the Entry and Exit of Aliens which was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in November 1985.

Four groups of people are eligible for permanent residence: high-level foreign personnel who hold posts in businesses that promote China's economic, scientific and technological development or social progress; foreign citizens who make large direct investments in China; persons who have made outstanding contributions or are of special importance to China; and people who come to China to be with family, such as husbands and wives, minors dependent on their parents, and senior citizens dependent on their relatives.

Liu told China.org.cn that most applications she dealt with were from American citizens.

Why do overseas citizens apply for permanent residence status in China? The main concern, said Liu, is the political factor. Once people have a "Green Card", they feel they are accepted and trusted by the Chinese government. The "Green Card" also facilitates entry and exit. With permanent residence status, visas are no longer needed and people can enter and leave the country using only a valid passport. China offers outstanding career opportunities and is seen by many as safer and more secure than many other countries, said Liu.

Green card holders have the same rights and responsibilities as Chinese citizens. However the card is not equivalent to Chinese nationality and holders are not allowed to vote in elections, hold political office, or serve in the military.

Obtaining a Green Card is not easy. The qualifying conditions are tough. Unless you are a close relative of a Chinese citizen you will either have to invest a substantial amount of money in the country or make a genuinely outstanding contribution to the country's development.

To meet increasing demand, the authorities are considering making the Green Card more available by broadening the range of applicants without lowering the requirements, said Liu, but she gave no further details.
Source: China.org.cn.
 
Currently, most of the major Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Chongqing, have started to issue green cards. Dream on guy's. If you fancy your chance, here's what you need to do:
To qualify for the Green card, you need to fulfill at least one of the following criteria:

I Be a high-level foreign expert holding a post in a business that promote China's economic, scientific and technological development, or social progress.
II Have made outstanding contributions, or are of special importance to China.
III Have made large direct investment of over 500 thousand US dollars in China.  [ how many EMF's is that?]
IV Come to China to be with your family, such as husband or wife, minors dependent on their parents, and senior citizens dependent on their relatives.

How to Apply for the certificate
I Submit an application to the public security organ of the People's Government at the city level or the branch office or county office of the public security bureau of a municipality directly under the central government, which is in charge of the community of the applicant's major investment or long-term residence,

II Provide the specified application documents.

III The public security body shall investigate and verify the conditions of the applicant according to the specified prerequisites.

IV The local department will submit the application to the Ministry of Public Security for examination and approval.

V The ministry shall decide whether to approve or reject the application for permanent residence permit within 6 months of receiving the application.

VI Upon the approval of the Ministry of Public Security, the applicant will be granted a Foreigner Permanent Residence Permit by the Ministry of Public Security.

AND To applicants outside China:
A Foreigner Permanent Resident Status Confirmation Letter shall be issued by the Ministry of Public Security, with which they may apply for D Visas from a Chinese embassy or consulate abroad, and receive the Foreigner Permanent Residence Permits from the public security organ which handles their applications within 30 days of entering China.

For holders of the previous resettlement or permanent residence certificates,  you can go to the Entry-Exit Administration of the Public Security Bureau and change over to the new green card.

You Should Submit:
A Valid Passport or equivalent
B Health certificate issued at state level
C Credentials proving no criminal record by China embassies or consulates
D Two passport photos, no hat
E Other relevant credentials if required.

Fees
The fee for the new green card certificate is 300 yuan.
The cost of getting a new card is 1500 yuan.

Validity
The Foreigner Permanent Residence Permits are valid for five or ten years.
--Certificates with five-year validity are granted to minors.
--Certificates with ten-year validity are granted to adults.

First one to get one of these on this forum has some serious “Guanxi”

ttwjr32:
Paul,
I tried to get this at the PSB here in guangzhou and i ended up just
recieving a visa that was good for 1year. the lady told me to apply
for the green card next year as i will already be here a year and as
long as i was a good boy then i have a good chance. do you know of
anyone else who was told this? i see you live here in China did you
try to get one or do you have the same visa as i do? just curious as
to what you did.
Ted

Paul Todd:
Hi Ted,

I don't  know anybody that has managed to get a green card or even applied for one. I read on a web site that even if you were married to a Chinese citizen you would still have to have been living here for five years before you could apply. It's interesting that the PSB in Guangzhou said you could give it a go after 1 year. That's the difference of hear say on other sites and up to date genuine information here! Thanks.
I am a newbie to China,came here in September to marry my lovely wife and live. Best move I ever made !  I used up my 60 day tourist visa and after visiting the PSB here in Baoding they gave me a  6 month multiple entry visa. They said that next time I apply I will get the 1 year visa no problem. It's easy enough to get if you have the right paperwork so in all truth if I only get a year at a time that's no hardship,but a green card would be nice!  Best of luck to you and Sisi

Ming Zhi,Paul

David5o:
Paul,

Going from past experience, this ''Green Card'' will come to be abused like everything else official in China. it's just a case of ''WHO YOU KNOW''!!

There have been so many times that I've heard that, this and that is impossible to attain, only to find, that it was dead easy, when you know the right people in the right places!!

There are guy's in China that make a living out of doing just this, cutting out the red tape and getting to the right people to make it happen. Every foreign company in China, employs these guys commonly known as ''Fixers''. You would be totally amazed, just what these guys are capable of, and what they can do.... Put it this way, nothing would surprise me, if you got one of these guys on the case!! ...hahaha!!!

David......

JimB:
Too bad we cant get one of these "fixers" to help get our wives here.  I even have a politician that owes us a favor and he cant do anything.

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