China issues guidelines to expand public services by residence for migrant workers

China's cabinet announced new guidelines on Friday aimed at expanding access to essential public services for millions of migrant workers, a significant step in reforming the country's long-standing household registration system. The policy shift instructs local governments to provide services based on a person's regular place of residence rather than their official household registration, or hukou.

The hukou system, established in the 1950s to control internal migration, has historically tied a person's eligibility for public services like healthcare, education, and social insurance to their official place of birth. This has created a barrier for China's vast migrant population, which exceeds 357 million people, who often live and work in cities where they lack local registration.

Under the new guidelines, workers will be able to enroll in social insurance programs in the cities where they are employed, regardless of their hukou status. Authorities will also refine mechanisms for transferring these benefits across regions. The policy calls for local governments to assist more migrant children in attending public schools and to allow eligible students to take school entrance...