Why More Chinese Students in the U.S. Are Going Back to China After Graduation

April 17, 2017

Securing a work visa abroad for many Chinese graduates is difficult and could take a long time, which is why many are going back home to China for better job prospects.

According to a report from South China Morning Post, the percentage of Chinese students who studied abroad and went home to China after graduation increased from 72.38% in 2012 to 82.23% last year.

There were many factors that affected this result, but most graduates seem to have similar reasons for why they are choosing to go back home instead of working abroad.

“While we are here struggling, we see back home that there are tremendous opportunities and everything’s on the rise. A lot of people start asking: ‘Why the hell do I have to stay here?’” said Qinyue Yu, a Nanjing native studying at Columbia University.

Meanwhile others face the reality that as a Chinese person, many of them are limited in job choices and career advancement. There are still others who opt to stay and push their luck in applying for a working visa in the U.S., but most of them still need to spend at least a year for training period.

Nowadays, wealthy parents are able to send their children to schools abroad to study, unlike before when the only way was through scholarships. For this reason, many companies abroad are not ready to accommodate the outpouring number of Chinese graduates, said deputy director of the 21st Century Education Institute, Xiong Bingqi.

But even though employment is unfavorable in the U.S., these graduates have better chances, resources and networks to get a job if they choose to return back to China.

Image via Flickr / Kevin Dooley (CC By 2.0)

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