American Chinese immigrants / Affluent and educated elites choosing for a better education for their children

Americans may complain about the quality of their schools, but for the most recent wave of Chinese immigrants, it’s the No. 1 draw.

According to the 2012 Annual Report of Chinese International Migration published this Monday, China is undergoing a mass migration of its citizens overseas, with the United States being far and away the top destination. (Canada and Australia were second and third.) In 2011 alone, nearly 90,000 Chinese were granted US permanent residency.

“Affluent and educated elites are the main force in emigration,” the report said, calling this trend the third large-scale overseas migration in China’s modern history. More than 45 million Chinese were living abroad as of 2010 — the highest such figure in the world. In 2011, roughly 150,000 Chinese obtained permanent residence in other countries.

This exodus has particularly drawn on China’s richest and best educated. One in four Chinese who are worth more than $16 million have emigrated, and another 47 percent are considering emigrating, according to recent findings by the Hurun Report.

So why are they all leaving? Several factors are playing into the brain drain, including “political reform, infrastructure improvements, pollution, and education,” according to the immigration study. But the single biggest motivation for 80 percent of emigrees: to find a better education for their children.

Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via Why Chinese immigrants choose America | GlobalPost.