The first day of the month marks the dawn of a new era. 22,000 Chinese applied for new passports on Monday, the first day of the nation's new policy allowing citizens to apply for travel documents without returning to their hometowns.

It's yet another chapter in China's opening up to the world, and vice versa. 

China's new simplified passport application process became an instant hit on day one, as tens of thousands of Chinese applied for passports, exit and entry cards, and other immigration documents on Monday, the first day the new measure took effect. 

With the new measure slated to save people 20 billion yuan (3 billion U.S. dollars) a year, immigration offices handled 77,000 total applications including exit and entry permits on Monday.

With China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) marking one year in operation this week, it vows to create more favorable conditions to welcome more foreign businesses, investors and tourists to China. The office also supports more Chinese going abroad for tourism, business and study.

Xu Ganlu, Director of the NIA, said they made specific reforms last year, including allowing travelers from 59 nationalities to enjoy visa-free to travel to Hainan and making sure Chinese citizens only need one trip to an immigration office to apply for documents while receiving diplomats from 42 countries and seven international organizations. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it's extending cooperation with China in border management and policy research. "Coupled with the growing importance of international migration from and to China, the establishment of the NIA created a unique window of opportunity for the IOM and NIA to further strengthen their ongoing cooperation on various aspects of migration governance," said Guiseppe Crocetti, IOM chief of mission.

He said the  IOM has had a close partnership with the NIA's predecessor, the Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration under the Ministry of Public Security. The cooperation was extended through the implementation of consecutive successful joint initiatives on a broad range of issues. 

"After the establishment of the NIA, the IOM continued to extend its cooperation in the areas of immigration and border management, migration policy and research, migrant assistance, migration management systems, and combating irregular migration including countering human trafficking and people smuggling," said Crocetti. 

The NIA said it will better serve China's further opening-up, reducing the time and financial costs for issuing exit-entry documents. But they will also firmly fight against terrorism and illegal immigration.