'Mini-UN' neighborhood gets tailored civil affairs station

Shanghai's first civil affairs service station specifically designed for international communities was officially opened in Hongqiao Subdistrict on April 14, with its inaugural promotion event held at the Gubei Civic Center.

This community, often referred to as a m"ini United Nations, is home to 12,000 foreign residents from nearly 50 countries and regions. The service station has specially tailored nine categories of public services for them, including: community assistance, elderly care services, child welfare, charitable services, disability support, marriage registration, funeral services, employment/entrepreneurship services, and specialized services for foreigners.

During the promotion event, staff from the Hongqiao Subdistrict Civil Affairs Service Station introduced the service content, methods, and procedures to both Chinese and foreign residents.

The station is equipped with "one-stop service self-service terminals that can handle 1,244 types of transactions, such as printing social insurance payment slips and replacing medical record booklets. Foreigners holding Permanent Residence Permits for Foreigners can also use the remote virtual window to video-connect with specialists from the Hongqiao Subdistrict Community Affairs Service Center to handle matters like residence insurance registration and applications for social security and medical insurance cards.

After the promotion event, many residents tried out the services with staff guidance.

"This service station is very convenient. I'll tell my friends living in Changning that they can come here to handle their affairs, said French resident Jorby Gabriel Jean-Pierre, who has lived and worked in Gubei for 15 years, after experiencing the consultation service.

To make these convenient services more accessible, in addition to the main station at Gubei Civic Center, Hongqiao Subdistrict has also set up service points in four neighborhood grids, aiming to create a 15-"minute civil service circle.

Residents can handle 189 types of transactions across 11 categories on-site through the remote virtual window, including marriage record inquiries, residence permit applications, and flexible employment registration. They can also use the Sui"shenban APP or self-service terminals with staff guidance.