Lawyer pioneering green card service in China
- By Wu Jin
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China.org.cn, August 24, 2017
Gao Yuying, partner and director of the International Legal Transaction Department of Beijing Century Law Firm, is offering pioneering legal consultation and assistance for foreigners intending to apply for the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card in China, otherwise known as the green card.
Gao expects that through her expertise and best efforts she may trail blaze a path for attorneys to offer legal assistance to foreigners.
"It's a growing market especially with the increasing number of overseas Chinese who expect to obtain green cards when returning to their motherland," Gao said.
Last year, China saw the number of people granted with Chinese green cards soaring by 163 percent year on year to 1,576, taking the total of green card holders to 11,000.
Moreover, since June 16, 2017, green cards have been upgraded to a smart identification (ID) card containing a chip. This has more easily enabled holders to enjoy equal access with their Chinese counterparts to public services such as public schools and house purchases.
Noting the vast potential market ahead, Gao believes that immigration attorneys have a bright future.
In the proposal for providing an immigration service in China, Gao's law firm recently issued an announcement highlighting the professional roles of attorneys to render legal consultation and assistance for the applications of foreign residents.
"It is unusual and disorderly to have consultative agents from both home and abroad working on behalf of their clients to apply for green cards, residential permits and working visas," the law firm proclaimed.
"The legal consultation of exit-and-entry issues should be solely in the remit of domestic lawyers, who alone can provide professional legal service to foreign applicants," the proposal added.
Lawyers are required to evaluate, guide and notify the applicants through the process of application, helping them communicate with relevant administrations as well as negotiating for alternatives if the documents applied appear to be insufficient.
According to Gao's law firm, it has divided immigration into several categories, such as, family reunion, Chinese repatriation,professional investment programs and the charges vary between 30,000yuan (US$4,590) and 50,000 yuan, which are exclusive to administrative, translation, certification and notarization expenditures.
To evaluate an applicant's credentials for a Chinese green card, Gao has produced a questionnaire to preview the clients' suitability, such as, age, family condition, contributions, non-criminal records, profession and investments.
"The exodus of overseas Chinese is now turning back, seeking for jobs among companies and governments or establishing their own businesses in the country," Gao elaborated.
"Our mission is to make them understand for sure what are the legal means and processes to applying for a green card," she added.
China ratified the Measures for the Administration of Examination and Approval of Foreigners' Permanent Residence in 2004 to regulate the issuance of green cards. However, legal experts are expecting the law to be more specific in response to the growing demand of the cards.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)