BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Public Security yesterday cleared away a major obstacle for a myriad of local men who want to marry women from outside the capital.

    Starting this month, brides who come from outside will be allowed to become permanent residents if they stay wed Guangzhou men for more than six years, Qi Xiaolin, deputy director of the public security bureau, said yesterday.

    Meanwhile, children from those marriages can register as Guangzhou residents (with permanent residence certificates) so they enjoy local preferential policies in education, employment, elections and so on.

    "This is really good news for local men, especially those older than 30," Qi said.

    Public security officials used to set yearly quotas for outsiders to become permanent residents.

    And the applicants had to meet restrictions imposed by previous migration controls before they register as the city's urban residents," Qi said.

    All children had to follow their mothers.

    As a result, many local men failed to marry, Qi added, especially to women outsiders. That leads to an unbalanced gender rate.

    The rate between men and women is about 1.2 to 1 in Guangzhou now.

    The city is now taking bold steps in reforming the local household registration system, including eliminating differences between rural and urban registration to try to foster a balance.

    The reform accords with the city's rapid economic development, and will aid in the free flow of capital and human resources, particularly in cases involving in high-level talent.

    To attract special personnel, Qi's bureau has stipulated that high-tech talent, including senior specialists with advanced educational backgrounds or highly skilled technicians, can be granted permission to reside in Guangzhou with family members.

    Native high-tech workers who are studying or working abroad will be able to re-register at their original residence if they choose.

    Local senior school students enrolled by universities and colleges outside the city will no longer need to transfer their "hukou."

    Overseas investors, plus investors from Hong Kong and Macao and Taiwan Province, will be granted resident permits or green cards in Guangzhou when they apply, Qi said.

    Meanwhile the city is reducing requirements for registration for outside senior citizens who want to follow their children here.

    Inland residents can obtain Guangzhou "hukou" by purchasing houses and properties here, Qi said.

    Guangzhou now has a population of more than 7.5 million and will become a larger metropolis with more than 10 million in five years, Qi predicted.

(China Daily)