What makes them go home?

More Chinese students return to China after overseas study than 10 years ago

In August, after selling his furniture and packing up the only things that he could bring with him on the 12-hour flight, Yifan Wu jumped in to an Uber on his way to the Los Angeles International Airport to return to China.

After studying in the United States for two years and earning his Master of Science in Computer Science at the University of Southern California, he graduated in May and stayed in L.A. for only two more months to clean up his apartment.

"I didn't even think about using my OPT opportunity to find a job," Wu said, referring to the three-year period that international students, who major in science, technology, engineer, and mathematics, are allowed to remain in the country after receiving their degrees. He adds that it's too difficult to obtain a work visa. "I don't think only three years' experience in the U.S. can help me find a better job in China."

Wu's choice is becoming increasingly common. According to new statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources, around 80 percent of Chinese students who left to study in the United States returned to China in 2016. Compare to 2011, the number of Chinese graduates returning to China increased by 60 percent.

China has the largest number of students pursuing education overseas, and the number rises every year. Unlike 10 years ago, more Chinese students choose to go back home after graduation.

Changes in U.S. visa policies and a recent effort by China are the main reasons for the changing numbers. The Chinese government provides many advantages for overseas students, including purchase a duty-free car, move to a new city, start a business, and receive up to $145,000 for academic research.

It's about the reason of study overseas

"I got my bachelor's degree in China," Wu said. "I think to spend two years far away from home is a good experience, and it can make me more competitive to find a job since more people have overseas experience."

His opinion was echoed by Yilun Yang, a 22-year-old communication management student at USC, who earned an undergrad degree at Beijing Normal University and has now come to USC to pursue a master's degree.

"I have lived in Beijing for 20 years," she said. "I think I need to see the world. The two-year overseas experience can help me better understand what I want to do and find a better job in Beijing."

David Zweig, an expert in transnational relations at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said those who are wondering why there are so many Chinese overseas students returning home should pay attention to the programs the students are choosing.

According to Zweig, the attitude of Chinese students who choose to study abroad has changed. They are not going out to get a Ph.D. or looking for an academic job to trying to stay abroad, but the vast majority of them wants to see the world and then go home.

"The fact that the number of people coming out for a master's degree has become the dominant group," he said. "In 2015, 80 percent of all of the students who return to China were coming out for master's degrees."

"The number of people returning is clearly increasing, so has the type of students," he added. "That's part of the reasons, so many masters return."

It's about money and preferential policies

In recent years, Chinese economy has experienced a period of rapid growth. According to China's National Bureau of Statistics, China is the second-largest economy and has been the largest single contributor to world growth since the global financial crisis of 2008. But compared with the United States, China is still developing, and different kinds of careers need more talented professionals. In this economic environment, students will have more opportunities to find a job.

Clayton Dube, the director of the USC U.S.-China Institute, said although China's economic growth has been slowing down since 2012, and the job market is shrinking, the China's economy is still an important reason that overseas graduates are being pulled back home.

The pull factors include the great expansion of China's economy which has increased opportunities there, including opportunities to work for multinational firms. Talented new grads are plunging in.
- Clayton Dube,
the director of USC US-China Institute

"The pull factors include the great expansion of China's economy which has increased opportunities there, including opportunities to work for multinational firms," he said. "Talented new grads are plunging in."

The book, "Blue Book of Global Talent," indicates that with three years after graduating, the job quality and salaries of master's degree students who studied abroad is higher than the same class of students who earned master's degrees in China.

"You can get a good salary back in China," Zweig said. "Some people are willing to go back rather than find a job in the U.S."

In China, the residency of individuals does not depend on where they were born but on their parents. Many people want to go to develop in the four first-tier cities, but because of their residency, they have to go back. However, the preferential policies for overseas students can change their situation.

Wen Hu, a graduate of a Canadian university who planned to stay in Canada, returned in 2016 when the Chinese government began to offer overseas graduates residency in Beijing.

"I was very lucky," he said. "I was born in Shanxi Province, a second-tier province in China. If I haven't studied abroad, I would never get my residence in Beijing. Also, my social status and salary are not worse than in Canada."

The Chinese government offers tax-free car to qualified overseas students. Based on their time of staying outside of China, different students earn a tax-free exemption for every 180 days. To start a new business, in Beijing, every entrepreneur who has overseas experience can earn up to 100,000 yuan [$14,000] and a free office.

China has also increased its investment talented people in the last decade with the Recruitment Program of Global Experts, a program for returning talented people. The government offers up to 1 million yuan [$145,000] to returning professionals to do academic research.

The job market and returning welfare are incentives for Chinese overseas student to go home. Hu said life at home gives him more time to stay with family, and more importantly, his life in China is more familiar and comfortable than in Canada because the policies for students like him ARE better in China than in Canada.

Listen to what Chinese students say

Job opportunities and the government preferential policies are their main concerns. Besides, their families and the familier environment also influence their decisions.

It's about visas and American policy

After the presidential election in 2016, President Donald Trump's administration changed many policies, and the political environment for international students became tougher than the one in President Obama's time.

The new policy shortens the duration of visas from five years to one year for students who study robotics, aviation, and advanced manufacturing. For graduate students, getting an H-1B visa to legally work in the U.S. involves entering a lottery. Not every applicant can get an H-1B visa.

Zweig said President Trump's executive order "Buy American, Hire American" limits job opportunities for international students.

"American is not so encouraging Chinese student to stay," he said. "It's a bad political climate with president trump, with the difficulties Chinese companies buy high-tech firms. It's a bad time for Chinese student in the U.S."

"It pushes them home," Zweig said.

Lining Jiang is a graduate student who studied at Indiana University last year. She said only a few companies AT the career fair held by school hire international students.

"One hundred companies, only seven of them provide opportunities to international students," she said. "They all said they don't issue work visa because they know President Trump will keep changing the visa policy, and international students may leave if they give us a position to work. It will hurt their companies."

Jiang said companies don't want any unstable employees to work, and the visa is the most unstable factor.

The difficulties of getting a work visa both influence students' legal status and companies' employment. Then Chinese students have to return back after they graduate, or their status will be illegal. Jiang said it is frustrating.

The number of returning students keeps increasing. Their overseas experience now in China is an indispensable factor to help students find a good job after graduation. The preferential policies help them live well in big cities, and they won't face legal status issues when returning back.

Wu, the USC computer science grad, is now looking for jobs in China and PLANS TO live in Beijing for a while. He hopes he can quickly settle down in Beijing and begin making money.

"I've already sent several resumes, and just got one interview." He said. "I think I will be fine."

Chinese students make up about 50 percent of international students in USC

The number of Chinese students in USC increasing. Near half of international students are Chinese. They are everywhere on the USC campus. In 2017, the number of Chinese students went up by 12 percent from 2016.