Government green lights easier access to 'green cards'

Kurt Wuthrich (2nd R), winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and five other foreign nationals are granted permanent residence in China by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security in April. [Photo/China News Service]

Greater openness

However, China is nowhere near the most attractive country for expats, being ranked 41st in an HSBC survey of expats' views of the economic, living and child-raising environments in 46 countries.

Despite that low ranking, the situation could improve vastly if China makes a concerted effort to welcome foreign nationals, and the government emphasizes the country's greater accessibility, experts said.

"A strong and constant message from the President of China, Xi Jinping, alongside economic and lifestyle incentives for potential talent will have a big impact on mobility flows over time," said William Harvey, professor of talent management and migration at Exeter University in the UK.

Back in Beijing, Levine, the teacher at Minzu University, is busy updating his book, and is adding a chapter that will elaborate on the relationship between China and the world.

He has no plans to return to the US, and when asked if he will eventually go home, he just smiled and replied, "I am home."

Fact box: Requirements

Foreign nationals who wish to apply for permanent residence in China should comply with Chinese law, be healthy and have no criminal record. They must also satisfy at least one of the conditions below:

To have invested a minimum of US$500,000 in a Chinese business in the three years prior to their application. They must guarantee a good financial record.

They must hold the post of deputy general manager, deputy director or higher at a business, or hold the post of associate professor or associate research fellow or similar for more than four consecutive years. The accumulated duration of their stay should be no less than three years, and they must have a sound taxation record in China.

Applicants should have made an outstanding contribution, or are of special importance, to China.

An applicant must have been married to a Chinese citizen for at least five years, or have been married for five years to a foreign national who already holds permanent residence. They must have lived in the country for nine months or longer every year for the preceding five years, and can guarantee a steady income and place of permanent residence.

Children age 18 or younger who arrive to live with their parents are eligible to apply.

Applicants age 60 or older are allowed to live with blood relatives residing in China. In addition, they must have lived in China for five successive years and the duration of their stay must be no shorter than nine months every year. They must guarantee that they have a steady income.

Permit duration

Permanent residence permits for people age 18 or younger are valid for five years. Permits for people older than 18 are valid for 10 years.

People who are granted permanent residence must live in China for no less than three months every year. If they cannot meet the requirement, the accumulated duration of their stay should be no less than one year within a five-year period, at the discretion of local public security departments.