China's newly announced global talent visa is facing strong backlash, with some concerned it will block Chinese nationals from the competitive domestic jobs market.
The initiative is known as the K visa scheme, and is designed to attract workers in the science and technology sectors from across the world.
It is open to applicants aged 18 to 45 who hold at least a bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields from a prestigious institution.
Details of the visa, including its length and price, as well as the list of eligible institutions are yet to be confirmed but the program opened on Wednesday.
Hashtags related to the K visa trended on China's social media platform Weibo, with several topic pages garnering tens of millions of views.
"Once Pandora's box is opened, it will lead to endless trouble. China doesn't need these undergraduates! K visas are completely unnecessary!" one Weibo user commented.
A 2024 report by China's top private recruitment platform Zhaopin found that the employment rate for university graduates in the country was only 55.5 per cent.
Many say they fear the influx of international workers will increase the pressure domestic graduates face finding a job.
Previously, applicants needed to secure a job offer in China first before applying for a visa with working rights.
The new visa category is deemed as providing "greater convenience" for foreign talent to work and live in the country, as people no longer need a workplace sponsor.
"Does this mean that China's science graduates who can't find jobs each year are less qualified than those international undergraduates?" one Weibo user said.
However others have said that the new visa category will create a convenient pathway for young, high-quality STEM talent to work in China, which will help the country accelerate research and innovation in tech sectors.
China faces a '30-million talent gap'
Experts say it is understandable that some do not support the K visa, especially when the country's economic growth is facing headwinds, including creating job opportunities.
"They fear that the influx of migrants may encroach upon the interests of local residents," Dr Lu Fengming, assistant professor from the Australian National University, told the ABC.
Apart from job insecurity, Mr Lu said China's population composition also fuelled the strong objection.
"Many East Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and South Korea, have historically developed a national identity dominated by a single ethnic group," he said.
"Therefore, the K visa program, which is open to all eligible individuals regardless of ethnicity, inevitably provokes public resistance."
A large number of racist comments and memes targeting non-Chinese migrants have appeared on Chinese social media, particularly against Indian nationals.
As debate over the K visa intensified, China's state-run People's Daily newspaper published an article addressing the concerns this week.
"Despite ranking first in the world in terms of human resources, research shows that by 2025, the talent gap in China's key manufacturing sectors could reach nearly 30 million," the article stated.
According to government documents, telecommunication, robotics and aerospace equipment top the list of the country's key manufacturing sectors.
The article also says that K visas are issued to young talent from renowned universities or institutions, and they are not the "low-quality labour" as rumours say.
"Such talent 'the more the better'. They will not impact the domestic job market," the article reads.
Yu Fenghui, an independent economist and commentator based in Beijing, said immigration policies, when managed effectively, not only posed no threat to the local job market but also created new opportunities for China.
"The key lies in establishing a transparent and fair institutional framework to ensure the equity and effectiveness of policy implementation," Mr Yu told the ABC.
Dr Lu believed that by opening the new visa, China aimed to compete with the US in the fight for the world's best talent.
He said the timing of the visa's announcement was no coincidence, and the lack of specific details may indicate it was made slightly earlier than anticipated.
"The most likely reason behind this move is to counter the Trump administration's recent policy change, which is imposing a $US100,000 ($151,100) fee on H-1B work visa applications," he said.
"The competition between China and the United States is, in the long-term, a contest over key and core technologies, with talent being the pivotal factor.
"Given the United States has imposed restrictions on foreign talent, China's introduction of corresponding visas [for those people] appears to be a reasonable response."
Dr Lu said China also faced an undeniable long-term structural challenge: the number of births is expected to decline irreversibly year by year.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's total number of births in 2024 was 9.54 million and the total population has declined for three consecutive years.
"Therefore, to make up for future labour shortages, moderately expanding the admission of high-productivity immigrants has become a strategic choice that the Chinese government cannot avoid," he said.
The immigration system is 'lagging behind'
Experts also suggested that while the K visa has lowered the threshold for applicants, China's immigration system, including relevant laws and regulations, had not yet caught up.
One key issue was whether international workers could fit in with the working culture and arrangements of Chinese companies.
"For people who have lived and worked abroad for a long time, accepting the working conditions of Chinese companies remains a challenge," Dr Lu said.
Chinese tech companies are notorious for extremely long working hours, widely known as the "996" work culture — meaning 9am-9pm, six days a week.
Despite government regulations against the practice, Dr Lu said in fast-growing industries such as IT and electric vehicles, long working hours remained commonplace.
He added that language barriers would also be a challenge for applicants, particularly for those who wanted to start businesses in the country.
Mr Yu said that the launch of the K visa does not mean China will become an immigrant nation, given the country's cultural and social structure, and its distinct legal system compared to other countries with significant migrant communities.
"China wants to become a more attractive destination for global talent, but this also requires continuous improvement of policies and regulations to keep pace with evolving societal needs," Mr Yu said.
China's immigration policy is currently overseen by the newly established National Immigration Administration.
Dr Lu said staff in that department had limited experience in immigration management, and the government was still exploring how to design particular policies.
"Although the Chinese government does not need to directly face voters' pressure, it must still contend with indirect pressure from public opinion," Dr Lu noted.
"If public backlash grows too strong, the policy will be difficult to sustain in the long run."
The ABC contacted the National Immigration Administration of China for comment.
