Noyan Rona, chief representative in the Shanghai office of Turkey's Garanti Bank, is a green card holder.

"Many officers at border controls have not recognized my green card. There are many times they made phone calls to their superiors to double-check," he said.

China began issuing permanent resident permits in 2004. The green card is among the most difficult to obtain in the world due to the high requirements involved.

From 2004 to 2013, only 7,356 foreigners were granted the card.

However, China has been easing its residence and entry policies for foreigners since September 2015.

Last year, 1,576 foreigners became permanent Chinese residents, an increase of 163 percent over 2015, according to the ministry.

Zhang Jie, a professor at People's Public Security University, said the nation is undergoing a shift from an emigration country to an immigration country.