The K-visa rolled out by Beijing last month is part of China’s widening effort to catch up with the US in the race for global talent and cutting-edge technology, according to a report by The Associated Press.
It coincides with uncertainties over the US' H-1B program under tightened immigration policies implemented by President Donald Trump.
The K-visa supplements China's existing visa schemes, including the R-visa for foreign professionals, but with loosened requirements, such as not requiring an applicant to have a job offer before applying.
Stricter US policies toward foreign students and scholars under Trump, including the raising of fees for the H-1B visa for foreign skilled workers to $100,000 for new applicants, are leading some non-American professionals and students to consider going elsewhere.
China seizes opportunity as US tightens immigration
The ruling Communist Party has made global leadership in advanced technologies a top priority, paying massive government subsidies to support research and development of areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and robotics.
“Beijing perceives the tightening of immigration policies in the US as an opportunity to position itself globally as welcoming foreign talent and investment more broadly,” said Barbara Kelemen, associate director and head of Asia at security intelligence firm Dragonfly.
Unemployment among Chinese graduates remains high, and competition is intense for jobs in scientific and technical fields. But there is a skills gap China's leadership is eager to fill. For decades, China has been losing top talent to developed countries as many stayed and worked in the US and Europe after they finished their studies there.
The brain drain has not fully reversed
Many Chinese parents still see Western education as advanced and are eager to send their children abroad, said Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore.
Still, in recent years, a growing number of professionals, including AI experts, scientists and engineers, have moved to China from the US, including Chinese-Americans. Fei Su, a chip architect at Intel, and Ming Zhou, a leading engineer at a US-based software firm Altair, were among those who have taken teaching jobs in China this year.
Concerns over job competition for local youth
With the jobless rate for Chinese aged 16-24, excluding students, at nearly 18%, the campaign to attract more foreign professionals is raising questions.
“The current job market is already under fierce competition,” said Zhou Xinying, a 24-year-old postgraduate student in behavioural science at eastern China's Zhejiang University.
While foreign professionals could help “bring about new technologies” and different international perspectives, Zhou said, “some Chinese young job seekers may feel pressure due to the introduction of the K-visa policy.”
A recent commentary published by a state-backed news outlet, the Shanghai Observer, downplayed such concerns, saying that bringing in such foreign professionals will benefit the economy.
As China advances in areas such as AI and cutting-edge semiconductors, there is a “gap and mismatch” between qualified jobseekers and the demand for skilled workers, it said.
“The more complex the global environment, the more China will open its arms,” it said.
Persistent challenges for foreign workers in China
Recruitment and immigration specialists say foreign workers face various hurdles in China. One is the language barrier. The ruling Communist Party's internet censorship, known as the “Great Firewall,” is another drawback.
A country of about 1.4 billion, China had only an estimated 7,11,000 foreign workers residing in the country as of 2023.
