For a growing number of Chinese students, the doors to America are closing
- Since last summer, Chinese students involved in robotics, aviation, engineering and hi-tech manufacturing have faced tighter visa controls in the US
- Chinese students have described delays in visa approvals due to additional reviews, putting their academic and professional career prospects at risk
Like millions of China’s brightest before him, David Yu flew across 12 time zones some seven years ago from his native Beijing to pursue postgraduate studies in the US.
The plan was to get his doctorate in advanced materials engineering, work for a top US multinational company and eventually return home, where his “gold-plated” resume would open the doors to plum jobs. That was the plan, anyway.
Months after receiving his PhD last year, the 30-year-old specialist in alloys used in airframes and jet engines has yet to land a job in the aerospace industry. At companies like Boeing, many jobs require a government security clearance granted only to US citizens. Boeing representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
As the rejections piled up, Yu changed tack and looked to other industries. He has missed two Lunar New Year family reunions in a row because he fears not being allowed to return, such were horror visa stories circulating among Chinese students in the US. Under existing law, Yu has three years to find a job that would sponsor a visa. International students who hold degrees in any of the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – can remain in the US for up to three years under what is officially known as “optional practical training”.
“Being Chinese with a degree in sensitive areas in the US almost equals to being rejected even before application,” Yu said at a recent job fair at Harvard University. “I have already given up hope of finding jobs in the US that match my skills.”