Shenzhen's New Residency Permit and Its Impact on Migrants

August 21, 2008

Shenzhen city issued the new Temporary Measures on Residency Permits on May 22. The measures introduce a number of reforms to the city's household registration (hukou). (See the Congressional-Executive Commission on China's Topic Paper and Hukou Reform chart on China's Household Registration System for more information on the hukou system). 

Shenzhen city issued the new Temporary Measures on Residency Permits on May 22. The measures introduce a number of reforms to the city's household registration (hukou). (See the Congressional-Executive Commission on China's Topic Paper and Hukou Reform chart on China's Household Registration System for more information on the hukou system). According to the China Daily's report on July 1, the new system aims to gradually remove the barriers between permanent and migrant populations. It also includes a number of innovations unseen in most other recent hukou reforms, including:

  • Requiring that all Chinese citizens between 16 and 60 years old register for a residency permit if they have been working in Shenzhen for more than 30 days without permanent residency status.
  • Granting the children of permit holders access to local schools.
  • Granting permit holders eligibility to apply for driver's licenses, business visas to Hong Kong or Macao, and government-subsidized low-cost housing.

According to another China Daily report on August 1, Shenzhen's new residency permit system is the "first of its kind in the country" because it aims to integrate most (90 percent) of the city's migrants by June 2009, eventually covering 12 million migrant workers. Nevertheless, the new permit system does not completely eliminate the discriminatory nature of the hukou system, according to a July 7 China Daily report. And the Measures are silent with regard to the provision of benefits in the areas of free healthcare, pensions, or unemployment insurance.

Since 1958, China's hukou system has been a foundation for discrimination and violations of the right to equality for Chinese citizens who hope to change their residence. (See the Congressional-Executive Commission on China's Topic Paper). It is inconsistent with international human rights standards such as equal treatment, freedom of residence, and right to work, as defined in arts. 2, 13(1), and 23(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For more information about the impact of household registration status on Chinese migrants, see the CECC's 2007 Annual Report, Section II - Freedom of Residence and Travel.