Shanghai approves issuing residence permits to domestic employees

Shanghai publicly announced its first issuance of a residence permit designed for foreigners providing housekeeping services in the city’s Pudong area.

Although statistics from the Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration Bureau indicated that more than 20 migrant house workers have received such permits in Shanghai, this is the first case authorities have made public.

The woman from the Philippines is the first in the affluent Pudong district in which over 300 Fortune 500 companies are situated.

Shanghai, which is home to the China Pilot Free Trade Zone, initiated measures in 2015 that allowed high-level professionals with permanent resident permits or work permits to apply for a residence permit for their foreign housemaid.

Such applications should include documents such as an employment contract, financial support statement, personal insurance and a health certificate.

As cited in Chinese reports, Liu Chen, a Chinese American and president of Shanghai Affinity Biopharmaceutical Co Ltd based in Pudong, applied for a one-year residence permit for a domestic worker he hired on March 14.

The woman from the Philippines was granted the permit on March 31.

“He had worked for many years in Hong Kong, where the housemaid worked for his family. So he was delighted that the family could bring her along to Shanghai thanks to the new policy,” said Chen Lijun, deputy director of the exit-entry administration office under Pudong district police.

A housemaid who will be employed by a skilled professional can enter China either with a tourist visa and go to a local exit-
wentry administration office for a residence permit, or apply for such a permit at Shanghai’s port of entry.

In Macau, a non-resident permit is issued to employees who are specialized workers, domestic workers and non-specialized workers.

The Times sent a query to the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) to ask whether the region would also move towards a similar policy of issuing a residency permit to such workers.

The bureau stressed that the importation of foreign workers is only endorsed on a temporary basis, adding that it always sought to ensure that local residents are given priority for sustainable employment prior to the approval of the importation of non-resident workers.

“DSAL handles the importation of foreign labor forces rigorously, and only allows the importation of non-resident workers on a temporarily basis when the local labor force is insufficient or when there is no suitable labor forces available,” the bureau’s reply stated.

“In addition, according to Law no. 21/2009 ‘Law for the Employment of Non-resident Workers’, non-resident workers do not enjoy the right of residence in the Macau SAR,” DSAL briefly added.

The Times also contacted Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), but a spokesperson only noted that they have no further information in relation to Shanghai’s policy.

Shanghai  further relaxed its policies in December 2016 to allow high-level experts from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to apply on behalf of a housemaid.

The permission for foreign housemaids is one of the measures Shanghai has unveiled since July 2015 in a bid to attract talented foreigners as it tries to convert itself into a global technological innovation hub by 2030.

The application is open to all foreign experts with a master’s degree or above, or those employed by an enterprise in Zhangjiang or the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, institutions of higher education, or scientific research.

Experts in professional areas who are listed by the Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau are also eligible to apply  as they are deemed to contribute to the city’s progress in scientific and technological innovation.

Meanwhile, China kicked off a series of changes to the rules regarding permanent residence for foreigners.

As cited in a report by the Chinese news agency Xinhua, foreigners’ identity cards will be similar to those of Chinese citizens’, as this will now be embedded in the chips in the machine-readable cards, to be used across  railways, airlines, insurance agencies, hotels and banks.

Approved by the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, the reform plan serves the nation’s talent development strategy, which is to attract more innovative and entrepreneurial talent, and responds to social concerns, according to a Ministry of Public Security (MPS) official.

Statistic shows that 1,576 foreigners became permanent residents in China in 2016, an increase of 163 percent from the previous year.

Scheme for ‘high level foreign professionals’

Late last year Shanghai introduced a scheme that will allow “high level foreign professionals” – including Hong Kong and Macau residents – to apply for a Shanghai Residence Card. These residents will be able to apply for the local hukou, however, it requires them to give up their Hong Kong and Macau ID cards. To entice the talents of these individuals, Card B allows returning Chinese and “special talent” residents from Hong Kong and Macau to apply for subsidies from a special fund to pay for their life and work needs in the city. Card B foreigners are also eligible to participate in the local housing provident fund for buying or renting a residence and paying property management fees, as local residents do.