Education has always been the greatest driving force for Chinese people to immigrate overseas. Many families are more willing to push their children toward internationalization, believing that immigration can improve their children in terms of learning, knowledge, mindset, and vision. Almost every family that is in the process of immigrating or has already immigrated has its own story and expectations.
Why do parents choose to immigrate for their children's education?
1. Providing children with a better education. In the heart of every Chinese parent, their children's education is absolutely a top priority. From school district housing to the study-abroad craze, every parent goes to great lengths to ensure their children receive a good education. These families all have an expectation for their children: they hope to create better conditions for them through their own achievements today, making their children even more outstanding.
2. Lack of domestic educational resources. The competition for domestic educational resources is evident to all. In the past, interviews were only for job hunting; now, even kindergarten and primary school admissions require interviews. Every year before enrollment, there are always students who fall outside the designated catchment areas of key schools and are turned away. Even in a first-tier city like Shenzhen, the admission rates for basic education—from primary to middle school, and middle to high school—are less than 50%. The remaining 50% of children face the situation of having no school to attend, which shows how fierce the educational competition is. Some parents with the means choose to immigrate so their children can receive advanced foreign education from an early age. In addition to studying abroad, international schools have also become one of the key options considered by parents.
3. Forced immigration. Many parents want to provide the best learning environment for their children within their capabilities. More and more parents want their children to attend international schools to gain an advantage for future study abroad, but they are often rejected because they do not meet the "foreign national" requirement. This can only be solved by obtaining an overseas passport.
4. Advantages for overseas Chinese students. For domestic candidates, Tsinghua University and Peking University are dreams they dare not easily touch during the Gaokao. But for some, those are places they can enter without taking the exam! This is the advantage of being an overseas Chinese student. Chinese students: 12 years of hard study + a Gaokao harder than ascending to heaven. International students: Foreign passport + high school grades and diploma + ability to speak Chinese. World-class universities + exemption from exams + ultra-low tuition. Compared to the children squeezing through the narrow bridge of the domestic Gaokao, a foreign nationality is simply a "cheat code" in the game, allowing them to far surpass others from the starting line!
It is not just Tsinghua that admits international students this way! Peking University, Xiamen University, Renmin University of China, Communication University of China, and many other universities have also adopted an "audit system" when recruiting international students, exempting them from exams and requiring only an interview. Not to mention the annual "BUG-level" Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese students, which is considered a shortcut to China's top universities. They do not need to take the Chinese Gaokao; they only need to take an exam at the academic difficulty level of a Chinese second-year junior high student. With a total score of 750, they only need to score 400 to apply for admission to China's top universities.
5. Hoping for children to succeed. Staying in China, I can already see my child's future path, lifestyle, and trajectory. I hope they can change to a different living environment, have a broader vision, and develop a more open and inclusive outlook on life and values. I hope they live a relaxed and free life and live out their humanity. This is the mindset of most parents who "immigrate for their children."
What are the differences in education between China and Western countries?
1. Learning goals. Western education helps students understand that learning is their own business, encouraging them to think for themselves about what they want to learn; therefore, students generally learn actively, flexibly, and happily. Chinese education, however, always imposes detailed and cumbersome regulations on students in advance—what to learn, how much to learn, when to learn, how to learn, etc. Chinese students view learning as utilitarian, so they are accustomed to coping; learning is the business of parents and teachers, done for the sake of career advancement and finding a job, making the process relatively passive, dogmatic, and helpless.
2. Ability cultivation. Western education does not place much emphasis on the learning of "basic knowledge" but places extreme importance on the cultivation of students' "creativity." This is why seemingly "ridiculous" things happen, such as Western white-collar workers not knowing how to calculate 10 minus 6. They believe in seizing the time when children are young to cultivate creative thinking, while Chinese education places special emphasis on the so-called "double basics," focusing on practicing "basic skills" and neglecting the cultivation of students' creativity and thinking ability. Students in Western education have low scores but high abilities, while Chinese students have high scores but low abilities. Consequently, Fortune 500 companies are generally reluctant to accept Chinese students; in their view, Chinese education cultivates servants of knowledge rather than "educating people."
3. Teacher-student relationship. In China, "a teacher for a day is a father for life"; children know from the moment they step into school that teachers are always high and mighty. In Western education, professors have no authority to speak of; Western education does not recognize authority. Chinese children blindly worship teachers, feeling that teachers are always right. Chinese teachers like to maintain dignity and are stern. Teachers in Western education enjoy chatting with children and have a close, friendly relationship with them.
4. Educational examinations. Exams in Western education are often open-book, and children can submit them within a week. In China, exams are treated like a major battle, with single-person, single-desk arrangements and strict supervision by main and deputy proctors. In China, the main purpose of exams is elimination, while the purpose of exams in Western education is to find one's own shortcomings, identify gaps, and make up for them to facilitate future development.
5. Class size. Although China explicitly stipulates that each class should not exceed 45 students, the average class size in township and county-level schools is as high as 60; the law cannot constrain much. In Western education, a class size does not exceed 30; 31 people would be considered a violation of education law. The difference is that Westerners value integrity—self-reputation—so they dare not cross the line.
6. Time management. In a year, Chinese middle school students have 8 months of class time, spending about 11 hours a day at school, totaling about 2,600 hours. Students in Western education only have about 1,000 hours per year. Shorter school hours and less academic burden allow children to do things they are interested in. Children have more free time to arrange, which also allows them to learn how to manage their own time.
7. Student grades. Grades in Western education are considered "private." When a teacher shows a report card to a parent, they only show the grades of their own child and will not announce the grades of the whole class. In China, administrative departments will try every means to publish school grades. Teacher evaluations also depend on students' admission rates and excellence rates. Students have been growing up under such a mechanism since the first grade for as long as 12 years, and the psychological pressure is obvious.
8. Learning materials. Textbooks in Western education are simple and do not have strict requirements for children, especially in mathematics, which leads to many adults losing their concept of numbers once they leave a computer, making even daily calculations a difficulty—which looks very ridiculous. However, they focus on the cultivation of hands-on ability and innovation ability. Our country's textbooks blindly emphasize consolidating the foundation, which leads to piles of mechanical and repetitive homework, resulting in batch after batch of high-scoring but low-ability talents.
9. Extracurricular activities. China generally does not allow children to participate in real social activities. But in Western education, once primary school students enter the school gate, they begin to truly participate in social activities. Extracurricular activities in Western education are spontaneously participated in by students, and funds are also jointly funded and sought through sponsorship. For example, an 8-year-old child will help others wash washing machines for $8 each, perform for others, etc., and use the money earned to organize activities. Of course, not all activities are for making money; many are also volunteer work. Western education has many ways to let children come into contact with the social environment; they believe that education is life.
Many people change color at the mention of immigration, thinking that immigration is unpatriotic, and that immigration means giving up life and career in China—this is a misunderstanding. Currently, many immigrants are actually "immigrating without moving." For the development of themselves and their families, they have configured an overseas identity, adding another choice for a better life. When encountering a crisis, they also have a retreat they can choose.
Immigrating for children's education, how to choose an immigration country? What are the differences in education among Western immigration countries?
1. American education
The United States has more than 4,000 universities, with the highest teaching quality and the widest range of courses. American education is recognized as the world's number one, possessing the best universities and the best professors, with degrees ranging from associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees to doctoral degrees. The diverse cultural education in the United States and the numerous employment opportunities in high-tech enterprises can also allow children to have a complete worldview and values, and apply what they have learned.
2. Canadian education
Canada's teaching quality and educational philosophy are on the same level as the educational powerhouse, the United States. Canada also attaches great importance to the development of education. As an immigration country, primary and secondary schools in Canada generally attach importance to the educational integration of immigrant students and have generally established ESL courses in primary and secondary schools to help immigrants and students whose native language is not English/French gradually adapt to the normal school learning rhythm. Canada focuses on quality and student skills education, striving to cultivate students' social survival skills, legal awareness, and hands-on ability from kindergarten, and adopts a "repeated teaching" method to cycle and improve, so as to deepen students' impressions.
3. German education
Germany is in the global top 3 for education, with free education from kindergarten to university. Germany adopts a model of completely free public education from kindergarten to university, and the country's annual education expenditure exceeds its defense budget by more than 3 times. German early childhood education focuses on quality development, avoiding premature development of children's intelligence, and providing children with free space to enjoy their childhood. German secondary education focuses on application and direct access to work. German higher education is famous for science and engineering technology, having cultivated 103 Germans who have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
4. Greek education
Greece is one of the countries in the world that established an education system earliest, with a profound historical heritage, and has made outstanding contributions to educational thought worldwide. Among them, Greek education pays special attention to basic education. Greek basic education pays more attention to children's independent thinking, leadership, logical thinking, and especially moral education. Greece is both an EU member state and a Schengen country. Because of its important geographical location in Europe, it has attracted many famous foreign universities to set up branch campuses in Greece. Greek academic qualifications are internationally recognized, and one can use Greek transcripts to apply for better, higher-level institutions for further studies worldwide. In addition, many private schools or branch campuses of various countries in Greece allow students to take A-level or SAT exams locally after graduation, choosing to go to other EU countries or the United States to study.
5. Spanish education
The Spanish government attaches great importance to education. The state is responsible for educational investment and managing the entire education system. 87% of the funds come from direct state appropriations, and education expenditure accounts for 5% of GDP. Most worth mentioning is that primary and secondary education in Spain is completely free. It is the only country with 14 years of free public education. After the age of 16, students can freely choose courses for further study, similar to higher technical schools in China, but they do not have to go through the Gaokao. Education during this period is fully integrated with employment. Spanish is one of the most widely used languages in the world today besides English. About 600 million people worldwide speak English, and 500 million people speak Spanish. At the same time, more than 20 countries have Spanish as their official language, and the official languages of the United States include Spanish in addition to English. Immigrating to Spain and being in a Spanish environment can help one learn Spanish faster.
Everyone's reasons are different, but everyone's motivation is the same: to trigger immigration needs through children's education, and then realize the overall planning of parents for career, wealth, tax, retirement, and other aspects. With so many benefits in one go, why not do it? In fact, everyone's considerations for immigrating abroad are different, but everyone's common goal is the same: for a better life, to follow their inner choices, to find the life they want, and at the same time to fight again for their second life plan. Immigrating for children's education requires a more comprehensive and integrated consideration.
In terms of children's education, what are the actual benefits of immigration?
1. Visa issues
Simply applying for a student visa belongs to a non-immigrant visa. The visa officer adopts the "presumption of guilt," that is, it is assumed that the applicant has immigration tendencies. If the applicant comes from a high-risk area, the difficulty of application will further increase. The key is to provide sufficient and credible materials to prove one's purpose of studying abroad. In addition, simply applying for a student visa also requires considering the English issue. If there are no good grades and the spoken language is average, it will be difficult to pass. If you have an immigrant status, you don't have to worry about this aspect.
2. Tuition comparison
The difference in tuition between international students and local students is huge. The fees that international students need to pay are far more than tuition. The annual tuition, living expenses, room and board, and round-trip air tickets cost at least 250,000-300,000 RMB. After finishing a 4-year undergraduate degree, at least 1 million RMB will be spent, and international students cannot apply for financial aid. Some universities or community colleges will charge international students high miscellaneous fees and credit fees. If you hold an immigrant status, the lowest tuition is only one-third of that for international students, and you can also apply for financial aid.
3. Opportunities to attend international prestigious schools
The proportion of international students recruited by international prestigious schools every year is generally less than 20%; top universities are as low as about 10%. Taking the early admission results of American universities for the class of 2023 as an example, the early admission rates of many top prestigious schools such as Harvard University, Yale University, Brown University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University have hit new lows this year. Among them, the early admission rate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was only 7.4%, and almost no students in China received early admission to this school. Immigrant children: After immigration, they apply as local students, and the admission rate is high. For example, during the university period, immigrant children have no restrictions on school and major choices, and can apply for many popular majors that international students cannot apply for, such as law, clinical medicine, etc. Top prestigious schools will reserve a large number of places for domestic students and control the proportion of international students.
4. School scholarships
For international students who intend to apply for scholarships, they can only compete with excellent people from all over the world for a very limited number of scholarships open to foreign nationals. But the scope of scholarship application that students holding a green card can enjoy is far beyond what a foreign student can apply for.
5. Part-time jobs and internships
Because international students do not have status, their internships are more restricted. However, internship background significantly affects the quality of job offers after graduation. Most internships for international students are jobs without technical content, and the number is limited. It is relatively difficult for international students to obtain resources from some special institutions, such as government agencies, non-profit organizations, industry associations, and other good resources.
6. Employment after graduation
Compared with students holding green cards (i.e., local students) whose work is not restricted, the situation faced by international students is much more severe. When looking for a job after graduation, international students and local students are in a very unequal competitive position. Taking the United States as an example, international students are very clear that finding an internship unit generally requires the unit to provide a guarantee, which is very difficult. Most companies are unwilling to hire international students during the OPT (Optional Practical Training) period. Only some companies with talent reserves will do this kind of thing that requires lawyer fees and many extra expenses, and the premise is that it is proven that no suitable candidate can be found to fill this position at the same salary.
Immigration can indeed provide children with better educational resources and development opportunities, but one should not ignore the child's own adaptability and systematic planning, and avoid making decisions blindly.