The Ministry of Public Security says that it has already drafted a plan for reforming the current household registration system.

"We will set up a new household registration system by 2020." said Huang Ming, Vice Minister of Public Security, in an interview with China Central Television on December 17. "It will have three key features. First of all, we will adopt the same system in urban and rural areas. Second, the requirement for immigration will be based on legal and stable homes and jobs. Besides that, the new system will be based on where you live most of the time as opposed to place of birth. By 2020, it should be much easier for people to migrate."

Huang said that this round of reform aims to help migrant workers in cities acquire legal registration and also to attract more people to cities. The government will also make efforts to boost public services, including education, medical treatment, and social security programs for long-term dwellers.

There are currently an estimated 160 million migrant workers in China.