Entry visa categories, current experiences and future expectations of highly educated migrants and their intention to stay

Abstract

With more jobs requiring educational credentials, highly educated migrants are sought by many governments. This study is drawn from recently collected data between 2018 and 2020 in Hong Kong on highly educated migrants from Mainland China. We explored how entry visa categories, current experience and future expectation of highly educated migrants are related to their intention to stay. The findings suggest that all three aspects of their migration experience are related to their intention to stay. The findings also indicate that immigration policies, in particular visa categories, play a significant role in the intention of highly skilled migrants to stay. Thus, the government should pay attention to the types of visas that are likely to influence the retention of the highly educated in Hong Kong and the number of visas that are issued each year.