Long-term visas needed

As a foreigner I have been living in China and working legally for 10 years and I respect the rules made by the government. However, the problem with teachers working on tourist visas is because the Z visa has been made increasingly harder to get.

The reality is that getting a green card in China is almost impossible unless you marry a Chinese person or are very rich. In other countries, there are clear rules: work for five years and you can apply for a green card. With work visas becoming harder to get, long- term, more-than-one-year visas almost impossible to get: it seems that the door is being closed.

I don't see why ID cards for foreigners can't be introduced considering that carrying a passport is not practical.

China is a great place, Chinese culture is wonderful and Chinese people are fantastic. But as the years pass I feel increasingly unwelcome, because even though I feel connected to this land and call China my home, the expiry date in my passport is a reminder that my life can never be stable unless I have the freedom to remain indefinitely.

Perhaps you could publish a list of the requirements for the green card as I'm sure there are many foreigners out there who have been here for a long time and would like to apply.

I can stay as long as I work, but what happens when I retire?

David Smith, via e-mail

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(China Daily 06/15/2012 page9)