Beijing to scrap hukou system for lower-cities

China’s state planner has required local governments to lift household registration restrictions for people who live and work in some second- and third-tier cities in an effort to advance reform of the residency system for migrants, said Caixin.

China is going to eliminate all restrictions for household registration, also known as “hukou,” for all cities with an urban population of 1 million to 3 million, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Based on their urban populations in 2016, cities such as Wuxi and Ningbo in eastern China would qualify for the relaxed residency rules, according to NDRC statistics.

The NDRC also said governments of cities with an urban population of 3 million to 5 million should also ease restrictions for farmers-turned-workers who have lived there for more than five years, as well as technicians, college and vocational school graduates and people who have obtained degrees abroad.