Beijing will launch its points-based application system for household registration on April 16, a move to meet the demand of nonnative Beijing residents to stabilize their living situations in the capital, the capital’s Human Resources and Social Security Bureau said on April 11.

The points-based system is aimed at qualified nonnative Beijing workers who have stable employment in the city. Four criteria are required.

The city has not yet determined the total points required for residency, but some qualifications — and their point values — are known. Those will be added to a person’s point total after Sept 5, when the overall point total is established.

For now, an applicant must:

・ have a temporary Beijing residence permit;

・ be below retirement age (under 55 for women and 60 for men);

・ have made social insurance payments for seven consecutive years;

・ have no criminal record.

Applicants are graded based on points earned from their age, education level, living standard, legal record and entrepreneurial ability. There are nine grading indicators, the bureau said.

All candidates for household status must submit their applications through their employers and undergo a series of procedures to check their points and review their qualifications.

“The system mainly aims to meet the household needs of capable non-Beijing residents who are willing to live in the capital long-term,” said Li Sufang, deputy head of the Beijing Development and Reform Commission. “It applies to all nonnative Beijing residents.”

The first round of applications will be accepted until June 14, with applicants able to register and fill out forms on the bureau’s website.

After that, various government departments will get involved to verify points and reach a preliminary conclusion. The process is expected to last about one and a half months.

After that, another review stage will be conducted. After Sept 5, the city will announce the number of points applicants need to establish hukou, along with other residency information.

“The application system for household registration is a free public interest service,” said Xu Xi, director of the city’s social security bureau.

The new system is part of the overall reform of the household registration process. China will gradually remove limits on hukou registration in townships and small cities.

Plans to introduce a points-based application system in Beijing were first announced in August 2016 to guarantee people’s rights and establish a stable living situation for skilled nonnative residents.

The Shanghai municipal government implemented the point system in September 2013 to speed up the reformation of hukou.