Lawmakers urge crackdown on illegal foreigners

According to an article published in the Global Times, National People’s Congress deputy Zhu Lieyu has said that he believes China should pursue stricter punishments on foreigners that illegally enter the country, overstay or work without legal permits.
“The ‘three illegals’ should be listed as a crime and should attract stricter punishment,” Zhu said, as cited by the Global Times. “Some of these foreigners have occasionally caused trouble in civil society.”
Under the current exit and entry regulations, those who violate the ‘three illegals’ can face an administrative detention of up to 15 days and a fine that can reach 20,000 yuan if the individual has been found working illegally.
The proposal is likely to affect China’s southern province of Guangdong, where many internal Chinese migrants and foreigners choose to settle. Guangzhou itself boasts the largest population of African immigrants in Asia, estimated to exceed 200,000.
Liu Guofu, an expert of immigration law at the Beijing Institute of Technology told the tabloid that working visas should be issued to foreigners involved in low-wage jobs on a quota basis.
“The problem of the ‘three illegals,’ which has not been solved for a long time, shows that there is a demand for such a low-cost labor force in China,” he said, though admitted that stricter punishment was still needed. DB