China Welcomes STEM Talent While the United States Pushes It Away

In recent months, the U.S. federal government has imposed a $100,000 fee on companies seeking to sponsor an H-1B visa for foreign skilled workers. Meanwhile, China has taken the opposite approach, introducing the K visa, which aims to attract foreign STEM talent and does not require applicants to have a job offer. These two developments could be detrimental to U.S. efforts to attract top STEM talent and further exacerbate the nation’s STEM worker shortage, as they incentivize temporary visa holders, particularly those with PhDs and the highest levels of expertise, to leave the United States and pursue opportunities in China or other nations.

Indeed, the National Science Foundation’s recently released Survey of Earned Doctorates shows that temporary visa holders have historically made up a large share of STEM doctorate recipients and are more likely to pursue STEM degrees. As such, policymakers should establish a program that provides expedited permanent-residency status [SM1] (green cards) to temporary visa holders with non-social science STEM degrees, particularly in computer science and engineering.

Temporary visa holders already constitute a large share of U.S. STEM doctorate recipients. In 2024 alone, they accounted for 36 percent of all STEM (including social sciences) doctorate recipients in the country. When examining critical STEM fields that are essential to U.S. competitiveness, temporary visa holders dominate. For example, in 2024, 58 percent of computer and information sciences doctorates went to temporary visa holders, while in engineering, 51 percent of doctorates were awarded to individuals on temporary visas. (See figure 1.) These are the very fields that drive innovation, competitiveness, and long-term economic growth. To note, the shares in figure 1 do not add up to 100 percent because they represent a share of total doctorate recipients, including those who did not report citizenship status.

Figure 1: Share of STEM doctorate recipients by citizenship status in 2024

This trend is not new. Temporary visa holders have consistently made up a substantial share of U.S. STEM doctorate recipients for more than a decade. Between 2014 and 2024, they accounted for 34 and 38 percent of all STEM doctorates awarded. (See figure 2.) Moreover, they are significantly more likely to pursue STEM fields than their U.S. citizen and permanent resident counterparts: In 2023, 86 percent of temporary visa holders pursued STEM doctorates, compared with 75 percent of citizens and permanent residents. This means that if the United States wants to alleviate its STEM talent shortage, it should be doing everything possible to attract, retain, and employ more of these graduates—not fewer.

Figure 2: Share of total STEM doctorate recipients by citizenship status from 2014 to 2024

In particular, the United States should focus on retaining Chinese, Indian, and South Korean STEM doctorate recipients, who together make up more than 50 percent of temporary visa STEM doctorate holders. In 2023, Chinese students accounted for 37 percent of all temporary visa holders with STEM doctorates, Indian students made up 15 percent, and South Korean students represented 5 percent. (See figure 3.) Yet instead of incentivizing these students to stay, U.S. immigration policies are pushing them away. Chinese students face growing pressures to return home as U.S. visa pathways tighten. At the same time, high H-1B fees deter companies from hiring foreign graduates to work in the United States, driving Indian and South Korean graduates to pursue China’s K visa or similar programs in other nations that actively recruit STEM talent.

Figure 3: Share of total temporary visa holder with STEM doctorates by nation in 2024

Policymakers should create an expedited green card pathway for international graduates with advanced degrees in core STEM fields such as biology, computer science, and engineering, excluding less directly technical areas like social sciences. These graduates, especially those from accredited U.S. institutions, are vital to filling talent gaps in high-impact sectors, including biotech, AI, and advanced manufacturing. A dedicated green card category for these individuals would help the United States retain critical talent and preserve its global edge in innovation. By focusing on truly technical disciplines, immigration policy can better align with national economic, security, and competitiveness priorities.