China's Hukou Reform

China Lays Out Details of Hukou Reform

China set out more details of its plans to reform the household registration or hukou system, which determines where internal migrants can access benefits like schooling and healthcare.

The government said in November it would relax residence restrictions for all but the largest cities, but until now there have been few signs of when or how this plan might be implemented.

In a statement posted online Wednesday, the State Council laid out more details, sticking to the government's strategy of liberalizing requirements in the smallest cities first.

Long-term residents of all county-level towns, as well as their families, will now be allowed to apply for residence permits, the statement said.

In medium-sized cities -- defined as those with populations of 500,000 to 1 million -- long-term residents with stable employment (and their families) will be eligible to apply for residence permits as long as they have been paying into the local social insurance system for a minimum time. Individual cities will be able to choose that minimum, but it must be no longer than three years.

Hukou System Reform May Not Spell Big Difference For Chinese Migrants

Unfortunately, the new regulations do not give migrant workers the same permanent residence benefits that people in bigger Chinese cities receive. Cities with a population range of 3 million to five million will grant hukou appropriately, but those with a population of over 5 million will impose a strict limit on hukou registrations.

Based on the announcement, the government will implement a points system to give the best and most brilliant Chinese citizens the chance to become permanent residents in Beijing, Shanghai, and other mega-cities in China.

Sounds like Canada's immigration system.