Shanghai has further relaxed its residency rules to allow non-local fresh college graduates to settle in the city, a move to lure more young workers and develop its talent pool. 6park.com
Starting this Wednesday for a period until Dec. 31, students who graduate from local universities and work in the city’s five “new cities” and Lingang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone can apply for household registration, or “hukou,” according to a notice issued by the Shanghai Student Affairs Center affiliated to the municipal education commission. 6park.com
As long as they meet some “basic requirements,” they will be granted a Shanghai hukou, said the Monday notice. 6park.com
上海进一步放宽落户条件，吸引年轻人留沪。上海市教委直属的上海市学生事务中心近日通告，为贯彻上海市相关会议精神，加大吸引人才支持力度，上海将试点本市应届研究生毕业后，如果在五个新城和自贸区新片区就业，只要符合基本条件，可直接落户。2021年申请的受理时间为12月1日至31日。 6park.com
Household registrations are important for Chinese people as they are linked to various social benefits, including access to health care and education, and associated with the possibility of purchasing a home or registering a car license plate. 6park.com
Previously, the city has allowed postgraduates from several top schools, including Peking University and Tsinghua University, to apply for hukou immediately after graduation if they meet certain “basic requirements.” 6park.com
此前，上海对应届研究生落户的要求是，来自国内数十所“世界一流大学建设高校”或“世界一流学科建设高校”的建设学科，符合基本条件即可落户。这次将范围扩大至上海所有大学毕业的应届研究生，但条件是要在五个新城和自贸区新片区就业。 6park.com
According to the official Shanghai Daily, “basic requirements” include employment contracts with the party or government offices, public institutions or enterprises with a registered capital of at least 1 million yuan ($156,843) for one year or longer. 6park.com
The newly eased hukou rules came just days after Li Qiang, Shanghai’s party chief, said at a conference that the city will be “more open” to talent, launching a series of measures to entice excellent people to stay.


Household registrations are important for Chinese people as they are linked to various social benefits, including access to health care and education. Photo: IC Photo

According to the Monday notice, the pilot program aims to help Shanghai grow into a powerhouse for “high-quality” talent by increasing efforts to attract people, especially those who can support the development of the five “new cities.” 6park.com
Shanghai has stepped up development of its suburban “new cities” as the financial hub seeks to optimize its layout and boost growth. The new areas, namely Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang, Fengxian and Nanhui, were unveiled as part of Shanghai’s latest five-year development plan in January. 6park.com
五个新城指的是位于上海郊区的嘉定、青浦、松江、奉贤、南汇五地。自贸区新片区主要位于浦东临港新城。上述区域均是上海“十四五”期间重点建设的区域。 6park.com
Around 3.6 million people are expected to live in the new areas by 2025 and 5 million by 2035, according to a government document issued in February. However, statistics show they’re now home to just 2.16 million residents, meaning there’s room for further growth. 6park.com
Prior to the rules, authorities in the “new cities” and the Lingang Special Area launched favorable policies for household registration. For example, it takes as little as three years for certain people working in Lingang to turn their residence permit into a hukou in Shanghai, while this period is seven years in other regions. 6park.com
在此次新政之前，两地均已出台更为宽松的落户政策。比如在自贸区新片区工作，从《上海市居住证》转为上海户口，只需要5年，而不是其他地区的7年，如果是核心人才，更可缩短至3年。在五大新城，在重点产业或教育、卫生等事业单位，很多人才“居转户”的年限也可由7年缩短为5年。 6park.com
Yao Kai, director of the global science and innovation talent development research center of Fudan University, said that although such policies have made breakthroughs compared with those in Shanghai’s central urban area, they are less competitive than the policies of surrounding provinces and cities and some second-tier cities in central and western regions. 6park.com
As the “new cities” do not yet have characteristic industries, they cannot provide abundant “high-quality” jobs while the public service resources and infrastructure are weaker than those in the central urban area, Yao said, adding that the “cities” still need to strengthen their attractiveness to talent. 6park.com
复旦大学全球科创人才发展研究中心主任姚凯认为，这些落户政策虽然相较于中心城区有一定突破，但相较于周边省市及中西部核心二线城市的落户政策，并不具备特别大的竞争力。 6park.com
“上海的新城建设已历经几十年探索，人口集聚一直是上海新城建设探索中所面临的难题。”姚凯曾撰文表示，新城由于尚未形成特色产业，不能提供丰富的优质就业岗位，公共服务资源和基础设施也较中心城区薄弱，在全国各地人才争夺战升级的背景下，五大新城需要加强对人才的吸引力。 6park.com
In March, the neighboring city of Suzhou announced new policies permitting those with at least a college degree to receive a hukou directly without needing to first make local social security payments, Caixin has reported.