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China revealed on Thursday a plan to reform its residence permit system, which will allow migrants to access more of the country's public services.
According to the new plan by China's Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, migrant holders of the residence permit will be given access to benefits such as education and medical services just like their urban counterparts.
The plan is still subject to public opinion before it can be released.
Migrant workers who wish to acquire a residence permit need to have a stable job and have to reside in a city for at least half a year.
In addition, China is planning to phase out its current household registration system, the hukou. It also plans to give assistance to around 100 million people who wish to settle in cities and towns by 2020.
Currently, citizens are required to possess an urban hukou in order to benefit from the cities' public services.
People's Public Security University of China professor Liu Hongbin said that the new reform for migrants is a significant advance as it will aid in eliminating regional discrimination in the country, and it will also generate improvements regarding free mobilization of labor.
