CHINA has increased the number of employment sectors that can qualify a foreigner for permanent residency, also known as a green card.

    The sectors include some government-affiliated institutes and scientific and research centers, the Ministry of Public Security said Monday.

    According to the ministry, the newly added sectors include State laboratories and engineering research centers, the technology centers of key companies and foreign-funded research and development centers.

    Foreigners, who are vice professors and researchers or above with at least four years of work experience and have lived in China for three years with good tax records, will be able to apply for permanent residency permits at the local entry and exit management department.

    Candidates should file applications at the municipal-level public security departments where they work.

    Foreigners with permanent residency enjoy the same rights as Chinese citizens, including certain investment rights, home purchasing rights and access to schooling.

    The objective is to attract more top-level overseas talent to live and work in China.

    “Such measures will play an essential role in attracting more high-level foreigners, including many overseas Chinese,” the ministry said in the statement.

    Launched in 2004, China’s green card policy provides permanent residency for high-end foreign experts, people with big investments in China and people who have made contributions to Chinese society.

    After earning a green card, foreigners may reside in China indefinitely, entering and exiting with just a passport and the green card. Visas are not required for green-card holders.

    By 2013, more than 5,000 foreigners had received a green card, a small number compared with the more than 600,000 foreigners living in China.

    (Xinhua)