Image credit: Unsplash
About one in every 30 people worldwide is a transnational migrant.
Here's the data from the World Migration Report 2022, released by the United Nations Migration Agency:
By 2020, the total number of international migrants has reached 281 million, accounting for 3.6% of the world's total population.
◎ Total number of immigrants worldwide as of 2020.
Image credit: World Migration Report Data Visualization Platform
Among them, China, as the world's fourth largest emigrant country, has a transnational immigration population of about 10 million.
This is just immigrants who have already taken action and moved to other countries, and when you count potential immigrants, the demand is even greater.
According to the "2021 China Immigration Industry Data Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "China Report") released by Baidu in mid-2021, in Baidu search, the average daily search volume of the immigration industry is as high as 180,000 times, and an average of 2 people search for immigration-related information every minute.
However, the information on the Internet is so chaotic that it even contains a lot of personal experience, assertions, and even stereotypes.
Which countries are more suitable for Chinese migration? What are the characteristics of these countries?
Combined with the data analysis of the relevant reports, this article may provide some references.
01.
Where do Chinese immigrants want to go most?
Where did tens of millions of Chinese immigrants end up?
According to the data of the China Report, Canada is the new favorite of Chinese immigrants and currently ranks first in the list of Chinese immigrants.
They are followed by the United States, Australia, Greece and Portugal.
These countries are popular because they meet the different needs of china's two groups of immigrants.
For the wealthy, the top-ranked Canada, the United States and Australia are more suitable choices.
Why?
Data from the China Report shows that Chinese are most concerned about whether wealth can grow (25%), followed by medical benefits (21%) and wealth preservation (16%).
◎ Purpose of Chinese immigration.
Image source: 2021 China Immigration Industry Data Report
This is actually easy to understand, and some of China's immigrant groups are still concentrated in the wealthy class.
For this group, they are more concerned about whether their wealth can continue to grow after immigration.
At the same time, due to their general age, whether they can get adequate medical protection after middle age is also included in the consideration of immigrants.
Therefore, countries that are more mature in all aspects, such as Canada, the United States and Australia, have become the preferred choice.
Take Canada, for example.
Canada has beautiful scenery, sparsely populated land, medical care, education and other supporting facilities, and is deeply loved by immigrant groups around the world.
Three of the top 10 cities in the 2022 The Economist Intelligence Unit's "World's Most Liveable Cities" list (Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto) are from Canada.
◎ Apartment buildings in downtown Vancouver.
Image credit: Global News
In addition, the immigration process in Canada is very convenient, and if you pass through the fast-track immigration channel, the application processing time is generally within 6 months.
If you are not a permanent resident through the Provincial Nomination Program (an immigration route negotiated by some Canadian provinces according to economic development and talent needs) and have not signed a declaration of local settlement, then you can move anywhere in Canada to live and live.
After obtaining permanent residency, you can enjoy various benefits that are basically the same as those of locals.
From the famous "Canada Child Tax Benefit" to pensions for the elderly, to education and medical subsidies.
Canada's friendliness to immigrant groups is very high.
In October 2020, Canada released its prestigious Million Immigration Program, preparing to absorb 1.233 million new immigrants within 3 years.
Canada has since released a new million-dollar immigration plan, which is expected to absorb another 1.33 million new immigrants between 2022 and 2024.
◎ Canada Million Immigrant Program Publicity Map.
Image credit: J-PIER IMMIGRATION
This has led Canada to the list of countries where more people are immigrating.
Outside the wealthy, countries like Greece and Portugal are more suitable for the middle class.
For the middle class, the immigration application threshold is the biggest consideration. With the release of this part of the immigration demand, Greece and Portugal have also become popular immigrants.
In Greece, there are hardly excessive demands on immigrants.
As long as the main applicant is at least 18 years old and purchases a property of more than 250,000 euros (about 1.72 million yuan), the main applicant can bring a spouse, children under the age of 24, the main applicant and both parents of the spouse, and three generations of immigrants can get a five-year residence card.
Before selling the house, the residence card can be renewed. This is equivalent to buying a house and almost getting permanent residency in Greece.
After 7 years of residence, the occupant can apply for immigration naturalization and official immigration.
This makes Greece popular with Chinese immigrants.
The data shows that between 2014 and 2021, a total of 9610 main applicants were granted Golden Visas in Greece. Among them, 6405 of the approved main applicants were from China, ranking first.
◎ Greek Golden Visa approved statistics.
Image credit: Get Golden Visa
It is easier to immigrate to Portugal, as long as you buy a property or invest in an investment fund locally and get a residence permit.
You only need to live in Portugal for 7 days for the first year, and you have to live for 14 days every two years thereafter. After 5 years, you can apply for permanent residence.
This is very friendly for people who have a lot of industries in the country, who want to immigrate but are not completely willing, or who are not able to leave quickly. You only need to go to Portugal for a holiday every year to successfully qualify for permanent residence.
02.
A new trend: immigrants do not migrate
The above is the destination and consideration of the countries where Chinese the highest priority for migrants.
In terms of specific immigration methods, it actually reflects different choice preferences.
According to the China Report, home-buying immigrants are the only choice for Chinese immigrants, accounting for about 75%.
◎ 2021 immigration type considerations.
Image source: 2021 China Immigration Industry Data Report
Specifically, house purchase immigration refers to obtaining permanent residence status through real estate investment.
Since moving to another country, you need to consider buying a house and buying land, and if you can get permanent residence through this process, it is naturally the best.
As mentioned earlier, the application requirements for Greek and Portuguese immigrants can be directly purchased in these two countries.
At the same time, however, a paradoxical phenomenon is that although Chinese immigrants tend to immigrate by buying a house and buying a house, they also favor many countries without immigration supervision or low immigration supervision.
Often referred to as an "immigration prisoner," resident obligation refers to the amount of time that you have to reside in another country at the time of immigration application in order to obtain or retain immigration status. The picture shows a satirical cartoon about immigration supervision.
Image source: Greenfield Immigrants
For these immigrants, even if they have obtained immigration status, it is best to have less restrictions on the time they actually live abroad.
The aforementioned Portugal is a typical example of this.
In Portugal, there are no strict immigration supervision requirements. Applicants can apply for permanent residence as long as they hold temporary residence and meet the residency requirements.
In addition, small countries such as St. Kitts and St. Lucia have also been welcomed by many Chinese immigrants because they do not have immigration prisons.
We can call this phenomenon "immigrants do not migrate", which is also a major trend of Chinese immigration in recent years.
There are probably several reasons for this:
First, many people immigrate simply for the sake of their children's study abroad.
The "China International Migration Report 2020" compiled by the Globalization Think Tank and the Development Research Institute of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics pointed out that overseas high-quality educational resources are the main reasons for Chinese to choose immigrants.
◎ Another report also pointed out that the quality of education has become the biggest consideration for immigrants from China's high-net-worth groups surveyed.
Image source: 2015 China Investment Immigration White Paper
China is the world's largest source of international students, and for these students, having a residence permit can enjoy certain conveniences when receiving education, such as lower access requirements and lower tuition fees.
But for the parents of students, there is no strong need for immigration.
This has given rise to such an immigration norm:
Children live overseas to study, while parents choose to stay in the country and only obtain a residence permit from the country of immigration, which is convenient for traveling abroad during vacation.
Second, the accumulation of existing immigrants in the country has become a "sunk cost", resulting in many people being reluctant to migrate.
Whether it is for the rich group or the ordinary middle class, its own business accumulated in China, stable work and life circle, is difficult to give up.
As mentioned earlier, for Chinese immigrants, the most important consideration is the preservation and appreciation of wealth.
However, after having immigration status, many adjustments can be made in terms of investment, asset allocation, etc., and these adjustments do not necessarily require you to live abroad.
Finally, the local complex in traditional culture also more or less affects people's choices.
In the long process of agricultural social development, China has also accumulated a set of traditional concepts with a strong love of earth.
On the one hand, people relocate to the land, cling to their homeland, and are reluctant to migrate to other places;
On the other hand, even if immigrants go to other countries, it is difficult for people to form emotional sustenance.
It is precisely because of this that "knowing other places" is regarded as one of the three fortunate things in life in traditional Chinese culture.
The sum of these factors has formed a new migration trend of "immigrants do not migrate".
However, this pattern of migration may be further challenged.
In recent years, the pandemic has hampered many people and seriously affected the pace of migration activities.
But at the same time, social turmoil and world chaos have ignited the flame of immigration in the hearts of others.
As UN Migration's World Migration Report 2020 describes:
"We are living in a time of intense turmoil, disillusionment and confusion. Deepening geopolitical tensions are changing international relations, and political tribalism is revealing deep rifts within countries. The spread of data technologies is subverting long-held assumptions about security, politics, economics, and broader fields."
As the situation becomes more and more volatile, and immigration becomes more and more convenient, from the highest enjoyment of a few people to the more open to more people, immigration becomes an option that more and more people can seriously consider.
Whether it is for our own country or other countries, we may wish to take a serious look.
This can help us see where we are coming from, and it can also help us find our way back. ■
Resources
2021 China Immigration Industry Data Report. Baidu Search, 2021-07-30.
World Migration Report2022.IOM，2021-12-01.
Greece Golden Visa : The Ultimate Guide 2022. Get Golden Visa，2022-07-07
Supplementary Information for the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan. Canda.ca，2022-02-14