Recently, a lot of my foreigner friends just consult how to get a “green card” in China. So here I just extract some details about Measures for Administration of Examination and Approval of Foreigners’ Permanent Residence in China.
In accordance with Article 6 of the above Measures, those who want to apply Chinese green card shall abide by Chinese laws, be in good health and without criminal record, and also shall meet at leat one of the following requirements:
1. having made direct investment in China with stable operation and a good tax paying record for three successive years;
2. having been holding the post of deputy general manager, deputy factory director or above or of associate professor, associate research fellow and other associate senior titles of professional post or above or enjoying an equal treatment, for at least four successive years, with a minimum period of residence in China for three cumulative years within four years and with a good tax paying record;
3. having made a great deal and outstanding contribution to and being specially needed by China;
4. Being the spouse or unmarried child under 18 years old of a person with reference to the item (1),(2)or (3) of this paragraph.
5. Being the spouse of a Chinese citizen or of a foreigner with permanent residence status in China, in a marriage relationship for at least five years, with at least five successive years of residence in China and at least nine months of stay in China each year, and having stable source of subsistence and a dwelling place.
6. Being unmarried minors who are dependent on their parents; or
7. Being over sixty years old, have no direct relations abroad, are dependent on direct relations inside China and they have lived in China for five years during which they have spent at least 9 months per year in China and they have a stable income and residence.
In order to qualif paragraph 1 above, the minimum investment requirements, which the investor must satisfy, are investment of:
• US$500,000 in the encouraged category of industries;
• US$500,000 in China’s western region or in poor counties that the state has singled out for development;
• US$1 million in China’s central region; or
• US$2 million in China;