China’s K-Visa Faces Online Backlash: Locals Vent on Weibo — Here’s Why

China’s K-Visa Faces Online Backlash: Locals Vent on Weibo — Here’s Why

The recently introduced K-visa is designed to draw young foreign STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) graduates from China. This permit, unlike the previous visas, allows foreign talent the opportunity to reside, study, innovate or work in China without an employer invitation or sponsorship. The government hopes it will accelerate the scientific exchange and enhance high technologies.

But the policy has elicited considerable backlash on the internet, particularly on Weibo. The timing, according to many Chinese netizens, is bad. The nation is facing a difficult employment market, with young people's unemployment rates pegged at almost 19%. Approximately 12 million graduates are released into the job market annually, with many struggling to get stable jobs. Locals say that by introducing foreign STEM graduates to the competition, it can increase competition even further because domestic bachelor's degree holders already have a hard time finding jobs.

Equity of eligibility criteria is another key issue. The K-visa proposal also allows an applicant to apply with a STEM bachelor's degree regardless of the absence of employment experience or an employment offer. Critics believe that this threshold does not give due credit to the plight of home-grown graduates who tend to take up master's degrees to acquire a competitive advantage. Others feel that the bachelor's degree requirement is a sign that foreigners are being preferred to those educated in China.

Employer Non-Sponsorship has also been facing criticism. Some have expressed concern because they think that unless applicants are supported by local firms, credentials may be difficult to authenticate, resulting in low-quality applications, possible fraud, or abuse of the system. How exams, degrees, or institutions will be evaluated well as whether there will be a check on the origin of the applicants or the institution attended, is not clear in the visa rules.

There have also been nationalistic and xenophobic undertones. Other users report feeling uncomfortable issuing visas to foreign STEM graduates, particularly to those from countries where the United States has strained diplomatic relations, asserting that it could undermine domestic employment opportunities. Issues raised have included cultural fit, linguistic proficiency, political allegiance, and the question of whether foreign graduates will assimilate.

Finally, the message of the policy has been criticised. According to some users, the government has not been explicit enough on how the visa will be used in practice, what type of jobs will be eligible, how long they will be allowed to stay, and whether incentives will be used to hire locally. The lag in the introduction of implementation details has contributed to popular discomposure.