Shenyang has launched a raft of new visa and household registration policies to make life much more convenient for foreign and domestic migrants living in the Liaoning provincial capital, Xinhua reported on Sept 28.

The moves are intended to help the city in Northeast China attract and retain overseas and domestic talent, which Shenyang sees as the key to the city’s economic and social development. Around 1.2 million domestic and foreign migrants come to work in the city every year, according to Shenyang’s public security bureau.

Foreign workers living in Shenyang will now be able to obtain residence permits lasting between two and five years, offering more stability and convenience to talent who previously had to reapply for a new residence permit each year.

In addition, family members of foreign workers who have been granted the extended residence permits will now automatically be entitled to obtain similar residence permits.

Other measures to make the application process more convenient are also planned. Foreigners will be able to make use of a visa expiry reminder service, which sends them a message when their documents approach their expiry date.

Three new visa application centers will also be set up to save applicants a long trip to the entry-exit administration bureau, and a fast-track approval service will be introduced for foreigners that need to travel in an emergency.

The application centers will even offer a door-to-door service, saving applicants the hassle of having to apply for a residence permit in person.

Chinese citizens who have moved to Shenyang from other parts of the country will also benefit from several changes to the household registration system, which will allow more people to obtain registered permanent residence status.

Talent brought in by local businesses who have a secondary technical diploma or above, people who have started a business in Shenyang with fixed assets of more than 100,000 yuan ($15,000), and talent with intermediate professional or technical titles or above will all be able to apply for permanent residence.