“Highly skilled international migrants from China and India are facing different challenges in these two countries,” [ASU Prof. Wei] Li explained. “In Canada, immigration policies make it easier for immigrants to obtain permanent residency and political rights, but many are unemployed or underemployed, or are waiting for their applications to be processed in their home countries.
“In the United States, on the other hand, many are employed in occupations that utilize their knowledge and technical skills; but without permanent residency, they are disfranchised politically.”
On the other hand, in a world where specialized knowledge is increasingly critical — the “knowledge economy” — competition for highly-skilled talent in is high. Migrants who build successful careers in their new countries often find that opportunities exist elsewhere, too — either in their home countries or in areas around the world.
Prof. Wei Li will be researching a key element of global knowledge flow in the future of our Knowledge Economy development. Understanding the various forces that influence the movements of large numbers of highly skilled individuals between India and China and the U.S. and Canada can have a valuable impact on the knowledge-based economic activities of these countries. This field of study is important enough that Dr. Li has recently received a prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholarship as well as funded by the United States–India Educational Foundation.
