Shanghai maps out path to acquire residence

Skilled migrants who work and pay taxes in Shanghai can now trade in their temporary residence permits for full-fledged permanent residence, or Hukou. That will give them the same rights as workers born in Shanghai. The city released detailed rules for getting the permits on Wednesday, however, the process will not be quick or easy.

Skilled migrants who work and pay taxes in Shanghai  can now trade in their temporary residence permits  for full-fledged permanent residence, or Hukou.  That will give them the same rights as workers  born in Shanghai.

A household registration document, or Hukou, simply looks like a pamphlet, containing the name, birthplace and blood type of its owner. New borns in the city are automatically granted a Hukou as long as at least one parent has one. But when migrants arrive in Shanghai to work, they are simply issued a temporary residence card. While authorities have tried to close the gap between a hukou and residence card, temporary card holders still receive fewer social security benefits and pay more to send their children to school.

While the rules for acquiring a hukou are finally clear, officials don't expect migrants to start receiving the documents for at least a few more months.

Mao Dali, deputy director of Shanghai HR & Social Security Bureau, said, "It will take some time before an applicant can get all the paperwork prepared. The whole process will involve a total of 60 working days of examination. It will take even the quickest applicants around three months' time before they can get a local Hukou."

Chen Tingjie, ICS reporter, said, Shanghai started to issue temporary residence permits to migrants just seven years ago. Of 270- thousand permit holders, only 3 thousand are valid for 7 years. Authorities expect those people will become the main group to apply for Shanghai hukou this year.

Authorities have also announced exceptions for special contributors. For example, migrants can apply for a local hukou if they have worked for at least five years in the health or education sectors in the city's remote suburbs.