Immigration of the Wealthy
China has ushered in its third large-scale "overseas immigration wave." The first occurred a century ago, primarily involving Chinese laborers; the second appeared after the Reform and Opening-up, mainly consisting of highly educated individuals such as international students. Today, the wealthy class and intellectual elites have become the main force of this new round of immigration. Research reports from Bain & Company and China Merchants Bank found that 27% of wealthy individuals in China have already immigrated, while another 47% are considering it. The 74% immigration rate among the super-rich is truly a staggering world record.
Immigration Without Relocation
Holding a foreign residence permit while choosing to remain in the country. After successfully obtaining a visa, many people choose "immigration without relocation," meaning that apart from their children going abroad for education and living, a large proportion of investors do not move their entire families; instead, they choose to continue residing in China long-term after obtaining their immigration status. These individuals "immigrate without relocating," transferring their families and a portion of their assets abroad through investment immigration while continuing to conduct business and work domestically.
Education-Driven Immigration
In China, those who meet the requirements for investment immigration usually already possess a good income and social status, so welfare benefits may not be their primary goal. Most people mainly consider investing to purchase a safe and comfortable environment for their children to grow up in, and a relaxed educational environment to help their children avoid the intense competition and examination pressure in China. These issues will not disappear in the short term, and the immigration trend will become even more prominent. According to statistics, nearly 80% of immigration applicants do so for the sake of their children's education.
Smog Fuels Immigration Wave
In recent years, smog has swept across most cities in China. The new wave of immigration triggered by the smog problem is aggressive, and compared to previous waves, it is even more intense. For the first time, the public has realized the severity of the smog, and the reaction has been particularly strong; those with the means are generally considering immigration.
The First Year of European Immigration
European immigration entered the Chinese market in a big way in 2013, becoming a new force in the immigration landscape that year. "Buying property to immigrate to Europe" became completely popular. Europe has always presented itself with a noble, orthodox, rich, and mysterious image. Because the visa approval rate for Chinese citizens applying to Europe was very low, the public's understanding of Europe was very limited. Now, under the influence of global economic integration, the European market is gradually opening up, and immigration projects have followed suit, narrowing the distance between the Chinese people and Europe, attracting them to head there and shift their focus to European land and real estate markets.
The End of the Low-Price Era
Currently, some traditional immigration countries are tightening their investment immigration policies and raising the thresholds, which may signal the end of the "low-price era" for Chinese overseas immigration. It is reported that the threshold for the U.S. EB-5 investment immigration program may be raised from the original $500,000 to $800,000, an increase of over 60%. If this policy is implemented, it means that immigrating to the U.S. through investment will require 60% more capital than before. Analysts generally believe that raising the threshold is only a matter of time; similarly, the investment immigration thresholds for the Canadian federal government and Quebec are also rising, which will inevitably have a significant impact on those in China who intend to immigrate overseas through investment.
