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Anyone here gotten a Chinese Green Card?

hongxiongmao (50 posts) • +1

@Janjal Similar to Ocean, I have been in Kunming for about 11 years and still needed to get a fresh criminal record from home (they're usually valid for 6 months).

debaser (647 posts) • 0

Lately, I've been reading that some places are differentiating between Green Cards obtained through marriage and those obtained based on work visas and taxes paid. Some are claiming that you might not be free to work on a Green Card after all and it depends on how you supported your application. The information on the net often seems contradictory. Anyone have any reliable info on this?

According to China Daily, the Green Card offers 'fewer restrictions on type of work or company' but not 'equivalent treatment with a Chinese citizen'.

Here's the China Daily article:
www.chinadaily.com.cn/[...]

...and a couple of others:
www.thebeijinger.com/[...]

www.theworldofchinese.com/[...]

JanJal (1243 posts) • 0

"Fever restrictions [than temp permit]" and "not equivalent treatment with Chinese citizens" probably just means inability to access employment and posts that are political in nature or otherwise linked to national security - for example in Chinese context this could mean wide range of jobs in public media.

hongxiongmao (50 posts) • 0

@debaser The card itself has written on it in both English and Chinese that it serves as an identity card and can be used for <insert long list here> plus employment. What Janjal suggested looks plausible, some jobs will be off the limits for card holders but we're talking about some special sectors that most foreigners living in China wouldn't consider/qualify for anyway.

tigertigerathome (172 posts) • 0

The problems listed in the articles seem to stem from the ignorance of the service staff (bank staff/hotels). It may also be that banks need to catch up on their own internal policy. Policy over law is perhaps too strong a point. The 'law' does not say that you have to treat green card holders differently now. It just allows that organisations can.
Ignorance has always been a problem, even for local people trying to get the services they are entitled to. The answer is to keep escalating it higher, and doing the umpteen phone calls routine. I know a Chinese bank manager, who also has problems (on occasion) with bank staff know knowing their jobs.
I can see non-parity in some jobs. I can also travelling to some parts of the country may also hold green card holders to same limits as other foreigners.

However, the new ID card is a huge step in a positive direction.

liuer2 (38 posts) • 0

Of the three articles debaser list above two are outdated. Any info of more than a year in China you have to regard as being outdated and of no value.

The only article of this year is full of mistakes and starts with a lot of bias; the header is Elusive Chinese Green Card. There is nothing elusive about it and it is not a green card. The article is pretentious as well with statements like “Look no further for insight” which is then followed by the bare basics and even that is full of mistakes.

The name of the thing is: Foreign Permanent Resident ID card. It is a resident permit that is valid for 10 years and like all residents permits you can be kicked out of the country for serious misbehaviour. But not for overstaying your visa because you don’t need a visa. The article is clearly wrong there.

It is wrong as well that the Criminal record check is to verify that you haven’t been convicted of any crimes in China. The criminal record check is from your home country (and from countries you lived in more than 2 years during the last ten years). Thus that you have not committed crimes elsewhere. If you committed a crime in China then they already know that.

Than the article refers to 10,000 by 2016 as an indication that it is very hard to get. Well in 2016 things changed.

Xiefei (539 posts) • 0

Forgive me if this has already been mentioned before in the thread, but aside from easing requirements for the green card, they're also apparently allowing for more multi-year residence permit applications.

I still haven't found a solid source on the specific requirements, but apparently some people will be eligible for 2-5 year residence permits without doing the whole green card process.

I'm getting ready to get my new RP soon. I will post an update here if I learn anything.

tigertigerathome (172 posts) • 0

I have had a two year RP a few years ago. You need to ask for it. I was also required to get the medical certificate, not normally needed for a 1 year renewal.

The current situation might be different, but you do need to ask when you apply, otherwise the default is 1 year.

JanJal (1243 posts) • 0

The eligibility for longer temporary RP validity depends on some obvious external constraints.

For example in my case in the past, with the other half only having 1-year RPs for herself in Kunming (not having job or hukou here), I could not get longer than that on my previous marriage-based RPs either.

I guess same would apply with work-based RP, if the work contract is fixed term and renewed annually instead of continuous.

Liumingke1234 (3297 posts) • 0

If your 60 and over, you get a 3 year RP (marriage) visa. They told me you only need a medical check-up if you leave China and come back during the visa time frame. I would check first since information changes year to year.

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