On Nov. 11, 2025, China introduced a visa that will allow young foreign researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to move there without having to secure a job first. Before the introduction of the K visa, most foreign STEM researchers hoping to move to China had to find a job in advance and then apply for a work visa.

The Chinese government is making “a serious bid” to attract the world’s brightest minds in STEM, says Jeremy Neufeld, the director of immigration policy at the Institute for Progress, a think tank in Washington DC. South Korea, Singapore and several other countries have also launched STEM-oriented visa programmes.

The K visa was officially rolled out on 1 October, but Nature understands that applications are yet to open. Few details about eligibility have been released, except that restrictions will apply on the basis of an applicant’s age, education and work experience. Foreign researchers who have graduated from ‘famous’ universities or institutes in China or abroad with a bachelor-or-higher degree in STEM will be eligible to apply. That also includes people who teach or research STEM topics in such organizations.

The visa is designed to help the country boost its competitiveness in areas that it deems important for its future, such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and new materials, says Yuen Yuen Ang, a political economist at Johns Hopkins University in in Baltimore, Maryland. As the US government cuts back on its support for science, Chinese leaders see an opportunity to attract the best foreign scientists, particularly those working in fundamental research, Ang says.

Lu Fengming, a political economist at the Australian National University in Canberra, says it is a big step for the Chinese government to allow scientists to move to the country without a job offer. Sponsorship is needed for most other Chinese visa types, Lu says. The visa is a smart move given China’s desire to attract global talent, he adds.