Beginning next year the children of migrants living and working in Shanghai will be accorded the same status and rights as local children.

According to the new policy, the young children of migrant workers who have a valid residence permit or have registered as a farmer, nurse, elderly caregiver or domestic helper will be allowed to matriculate into Shanghai’s primary, middle and vocational schools.

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Determinations for whether a migrant child will be able to enter public kindergartens or continue their studies beyond middle school will be based on whether the parents have a residence permit and the number of points their parents are able to accumulate on their residency permit application.

For example, migrant parents will need to have 120 points on their residency permit application in order for their toddler to enter a public kindergarten. Similarly, they will need to have acquired 120 points in order for their teenage child to be able to sit for the city’s unified exams for entry into high school.

Under the new policy, points can be gained for a variety of reasons including age, skill set and profession. One important factor in determining how many points can be awarded is the level of education. A migrant worker that has graduated from college will have no problems obtaining the 120 points needed for her child to attend all levels of education in Shanghai. Furthermore, migrants that own local businesses, are married to Shanghai natives or employed in vital industries will be able to obtain extra points.

Despite the point system, however, the policy does allow for each jurisdiction to limit the number of migrant children able to enter their schools based on available educational resources. For example, even if the parents of a pre-school migrant toddler have accumulated the necessary 120 points needed to attend a local kindergarten, the kindergarten can still be deny their admittance if there is no additional spaces after seating all local children that applied.