Taiwanese business people living in the city say they are pleased with new policies that simplify visa procedures and will save them both time and money.

The Ministry of Public Security announced the new policies in June, and they went into effect yesterday. About 110 people applied for permits under the new polices yesterday.

The new policies combine entry and exit regulations with residency permits, so Taiwanese living on the mainland no longer have to extend their visas every three months.

According to the policies, Taiwanese who plan to live on the mainland for more than one year can apply for a residency permit valid for one to five years. They don't need to go through any other visa procedures while the permits are valid.

"With the new policies, I can reunite with my wife and one-year-old daughter in Shanghai," said a Taiwanese architect surnamed Chen.

He said his wife moved to Shanghai after he got a job in the city in 2002. She was pregnant at the time. He applied for a residency permit for her and extended it once after three months. But he asked his wife to return to Taiwan when she was seven months pregnant because he felt it was too much effort to update her permit every three months.

The policy also stipulates that Taiwanese businesspeople who need to visit the mainland several times a year can apply for a one-year multi-entry permit.

"It's very convenient for some of my colleagues who have to regularly come to the city for business trips from Taiwan. They no longer have to wait three or five days and pay 100 yuan (US$12.35) for the permit before each trip," said Emma Ku, general manager of a Taiwan firm.

(Shanghai Daily July 26, 2005)