Shanghai has invested 70 million yuan (US$8.97 million) to improve its system for granting residency to migrant workers in the hopes of getting more non-Shanghainese to register with the government when they arrive in the city.

While there are an estimated 4.38 million non-Shanghainese living in the city - a group mainly made up of migrant workers - only 641,000 have signed up for long-term or temporary residence cards over the past two years.

Government officials say many migrants found the application procedure too time-consuming to bother with in the past, a problem the new computerized system is expected to reduce.

"The majority of people haven't got the cards because they don't know where to apply or can't be bothered with the long approval period," said Kang Chun, an official from the Shanghai Social Security Card Service Center.

The new system, which is now being used on a trial basis, is connected to 235 sites citywide.

In the past, migrants could only apply for residence cards at a single location in each city district.

The system also produces the cards in only a few days, compared with several weeks in the past.

"Strong IT infrastructure will solve the issue as it supports wide coverage of more card application sites and high speed of (card) production," said Zhou Weidong, secretary-general of the city's commission for IT industry promotion.

The cards provide workers with basic social and health insurance and allow their children to attend local schools.

Some government officials say the system will make it easier to keep track of the city's migrant population.

The system will boost the use of residence cards in Minhang District and "greatly improve the government's management abilities," said disctrict official Meng Qingping.

Minhang is home to 1.05 million migrants, who outnumber the 850,000 Shanghainese there.

(Shanghai Daily December 27, 2006)