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In the past decade, among the Chinese who have immigrated to the United States, there are some high-net-worth individuals.
Although this group of people does not make up a large proportion of the overall immigrant population, it has attracted widespread attention because they already have considerable wealth in the country and usually have a high social status.
What is the real reason for their immigration to the United States? What is so attractive about the United States?
Who immigrated to the U.S.?
In the 70s and 80s of the last century, after the reform and opening up of the mainland, some people took the lead in immigrating.
Most of these people have some overseas connections, and the purpose of immigration is purely to get rid of poverty, and they formed the first wave of immigration on the mainland.
At that time, there was a big gap between China and the developed countries in the West in terms of economic level, and many Chinese people were still unable to achieve food and clothing.
These people do not have a specific occupation or identity comparatively because they have it.
Most of these immigrants from China are only engaged in ordinary occupations after they go abroad, but their living standards will be improved to a certain extent.
In the 80s and 90s, a large number of culture, economy, and ideology from Western countries were introduced into China, and more and more people saw the gap between them, and working and living abroad became the yearning of a generation.
Many of them want to immigrate at all costs through study abroad and labor, and the United States has become the most popular destination.
In 1994, the TV series "Pekingese in New York" directed by Feng Xiaogang was a hit, showing the bittersweet and bitter experiences of that generation of Chinese who immigrated to the United States.
With dreams in mind, they set foot on American soil and struggled to survive in the midst of struggles and struggles.
At that time, being able to successfully immigrate to the United States was a symbol of a person's ability, status, and identity, and in society, if anyone's son went to the United States, relatives and friends around him would look up to him, and "the moon in a foreign country is rounder than in China", which was the cognition produced in that era.
During this period, emigration became a commonly accepted concept in society, which also created a second wave of immigration from the mainland.
In the 21st century, with the rapid rise of China, people's living standards have also been rapidly improved, for the issue of immigration, Chinese gradually began to look rationally, blind immigration fewer and fewer.
Since 2010, the number of mainland immigrants to the United States has begun to rise, and many "rich people" have also joined the immigration army, forming a third wave of immigration.
Seek the optimal allocation of wealth
Immigrating to the United States does not mean that they must give up their Chinese nationality, and many people who apply for permanent residency in the United States get what they usually call a "green card", which does not mean that they are already American citizens.
In fact, many wealthy Chinese who immigrate to the United States do not plan to change their nationality, which is the so-called "immigration without migration".
As Chinese citizens, they can enjoy the corresponding citizenship treatment, and they can freely enter and leave the United States, and have the rights to education, medical care, financial and judicial services in the United States.
The advantage of this is that you can configure a "second identity" for yourself, arrange the capital and resources under your control on a wider scale, maximize your interests, and at the same time plan your future life for your spouse, children and other family members.
In addition, with the advancement of the global "Common Reporting Standard" (CRS), some people hope that tax avoidance can be reasonable, and the United States is not a member of the CRS, and the concept of tax immigration came into being.
For example, if a Chinese tax resident has a bank account in the UK, since both China and the UK are CRS member countries, the UK bank is obliged to notify the Chinese tax authorities of the account information, and the Chinese resident will be liable for tax if there is any information about the funds that need to be taxed.
At the same time, after all, the United States is the world's largest economy, and many industries have leading positions in the world, such as high-tech fields, and wealthy Chinese who immigrate to the United States can win more business opportunities and expand their wealth.
Enjoy the life of the privileged
The second reason to immigrate to the United States is to enjoy the life of an "elite".
Unlike China, the United States is a money-oriented society, as long as you have enough wealth, you can enjoy all the conveniences and luxury of life.
We all know that the social security problems in the United States are extremely prominent, but this does not mean that the rich areas in the United States are the same, on the contrary, the United States will fully tilt public resources towards the rich areas to provide the most comfortable and luxurious life enjoyment.
The salary system of police officers in the United States is linked to the local property tax, that is, if the police are responsible for the area, if the property tax is more, the police officer's salary will be higher.
In this case, police resources will naturally move closer to the rich areas, and social security will be very good, on the contrary, for poorer communities, the police will not be enough, and crime will increase.
Including the fire service in the United States, it also recognizes money and does not recognize people, as long as you give enough money, you will be safe.
The 2023 Hawaii fires, just across the road, with the poor areas burned to rubble and the rich areas unharmed, are enough to illustrate the problem.
In addition, there is the privilege of medical resources, the United States has the best medical resources in the world, but it is not inclusive, these top medical resources, usually for VIP customers, in addition to the treatment itself, related accommodation, entertainment, nursing and other services can be called luxury.
Lenox Hill Hospital, New York's famous hospital, offers hotel-level exclusive services for VIP patients only, $2,400 per night, family living room, kitchenette, spa, and small business center.
For public medical institutions aimed at the general public, not to mention these exclusive services, it is common to have to go through a long wait for medical treatment alone, and it is common to wait for two or three months after making an appointment.
Therefore, some Chinese with sufficient wealth also want to have such luxury enjoyment, which is impossible to achieve in China, and will choose to immigrate to the United States.
Paving the way for future generations
The United States has the world's top higher education resources, and unlike China, if you want to enter these schools, you don't necessarily have to study hard and take exams, and donating admission is a shortcut.
At the same time, when admitting students, these schools also pay more attention to "non-academic ability", which refers to soft power such as social activities and personal qualities.
Among these prestigious universities, there are a large number of world-renowned academic experts who represent the world's highest academic standards in their respective fields, and the starting point of learning from these experts will be much higher.
The students who can enter these schools are either top students or various "second generations" from all over the world, and the children's classmates themselves are rich network resources.
These factors are combined, and if parents have the ability, I am afraid that they will consider immigrating and sending their children to study in prestigious schools in the United States.
At present, the wealthy Chinese class who immigrated to the United States are not to a large extent because they "worship foreigners and flatter foreigners", and since they have enough wealth in their hands, they naturally want to have the best life.
The mainland government has always maintained an open attitude towards this, and as long as it complies with laws and regulations, it will not interfere with immigration to the United States, which is also a right enjoyed by Chinese citizens.
It is worth noting that although the mainland's "green card" is recognized by the world as difficult to obtain, the number of foreigners immigrating to the mainland has also begun to increase in recent years, and China, which is becoming increasingly prosperous, is attracting more and more talents to seek development here.
Resources:
[1] China News Network: "The Third Batch of Immigrants May Be Coming, More than 13,000 Chinese Families Migrate to the United States"
[2] Hexun.com: "China Becomes the Third Largest Exporting Migrant! 2020 China International Migration Report Released"
[3] China Times: "The Latest Immigration Trend After the Epidemic: "Second Status" Becomes the First Choice for High-Net-Worth Individuals