Skilled immigrants leaving U.S.

Skilled immigrants from China and India are being drawn back to their native lands for greater opportunity than they find in the United States, researchers say.

Researchers at Duke and Harvard universities and the University of California polled 1,203 people who returned to China and India, and learned they were motivated to return to their native countries by a combination of work, family, culture and economic growth, the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News reported Monday.

The trend threatens the United States’ position in an increasingly competitive global market, the newspaper said.

Researchers found the returnees generally were prospering in their new situations — with many advancing to senior management positions and about half indicating they plan to start up their own businesses within five years.

The principal author of the study, Vivek Wadwha — a researcher on immigration and labor issues at Duke and Harvard — said the returnees have become more marketable in their home countries because of their work experience in the United States.

They go back home and live like kings, Wadwha said.

The researchers said their findings indicate the United States needs to do more to keep skilled immigrants. They recommended an expansion of permanent residency opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math, the newspaper said.