Jiangsu to ease residency policies

Non-locals will soon be able to acquire permanent residency, or hukou, for the coastal province of Jiangsu excepting the capital Nanjing and the downtown section of Suzhou.

The Jiangsu Development and Reform Commission released a set of draft measures on Wednesday afternoon to promote economic recovery. Public comment is sought on the draft.

Among the measures, the one that eases requirements for non-locals to apply for hukou has attracted the most attention.

The province will lift all limits on hukou in 11 of its 13 cities, while Nanjing and downtown Suzhou will improve their point-based hukou system to welcome more applicants with continuous residence and longer periods of social security payment.

The two cities are encouraged to make specific point-based hukou systems for people seeking residency in their downtown areas, suburbs and new districts.