Policy support promotes better services for expats

In recent years, Beijing has been innovative and active in promoting better services for expats, and the city has launched several policies for the convenience of foreign nationals.

In March 2016, the immigration department launched 20 exit and entry policies to assist Beijing's technological and social development. The following year, the city introduced 10 more policies to promote Zhongguancun, a science and tech hub in Haidian district.

Last year, seven policies were launched to attract scientific and technological talent from overseas. Meanwhile, in August, 12 policies were released, aimed at attracting high-level talent. They included allowing foreign students to start their own businesses or find jobs when they graduate.

"We regularly send police officers to businesses and universities to introduce and promote new policies," said Dai Xin, a staff member in the foreigners' administration section at the Exit-Entry Administration of the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

Dai and her colleagues introduce different policies to several groups.

"The new policies have helped many graduates find internships or jobs in China; some have even started their own businesses. Our policy briefings have helped them a lot," she said.

Beijing now has six exit-entry service centers for foreigners. They offer visa and certification services, including those for working, studying, family reunions, tourism, business and healthcare. The centers, which also process applications for permanent residence, are located in the districts of Dongcheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Shunyi, Shijingshan and Tongzhou.

Applications for residence permits account for nearly 80 percent of the overall workload, according to Yu Jie, a staff member in the bureau's foreigners' visa management section.

"The new policies allow foreign nationals to apply for residence permits for up to five years, which is a huge improvement. Some are unclear about the exit and entry administration laws and immigration policies, so we have spent a lot of time explaining them in detail," Yu said.

"One of the key areas we are working on is explaining the policies. In addition, Beijing is planning to launch more policies to help our friends from other countries enjoy comfortable, convenient lives in the city."