SACRAMENTO, United States, Apr 6 (Xinhua/UNB) – The tightening of immigration policies and significant reductions in research funding during U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration are driving many skilled scientists to look for opportunities abroad.
A recent survey by Nature journal revealed that over 1,200 U.S.-based researchers—around 75 percent of those surveyed—are contemplating moves to countries like Canada or those in Europe due to the prevailing political climate. The data points to a potential mass departure of scientific talent from the United States.
The trend is particularly strong among early-career scientists, with nearly 80 percent of postgraduate researchers saying they are considering leaving the country. Experts are concerned this could lead to the loss of an entire generation of American scientific potential.
Two main factors are contributing to this exodus: increasingly restrictive immigration measures and historic funding cuts to scientific research at U.S. federal agencies.
“The massive cuts to funding are irrational and will greatly diminish the ability of the United States to provide world-leading research, and this will impact the health and national security of our country,” said Daniel Cox, a distinguished emeritus professor of physics at the University of California, Davis, in an interview with Xinhua.
On the immigration side, the Trump administration has issued several executive orders targeting foreign-born scientists and engineers. These directives included scaling back humanitarian parole, restricting border crossings, narrowing legal immigration options, and boosting deportation efforts.
The repercussions for the scientific sector have been immediate. According to National Public Radio (NPR), around half of the U.S. doctoral-level scientists and engineers are foreign-born. Despite this, the Trump administration sought to limit access to H-1B visas. Immigration specialists cautioned that these restrictions could push top-tier foreign researchers to relocate to more welcoming countries.
At the same time, there have been widespread reports of deep cuts to research funding. Since Trump took office in January, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the largest funder of biomedical research in the U.S.—has experienced sudden multi-billion-dollar reductions, with many grant applications being put on hold.
Beyond budget cuts, the administration’s influence extends to actions against scientific institutions. NASA has already shut down certain departments, including its Office of the Chief Scientist, laying off more than 20 employees. Reports also indicate that the NIH is preparing to eliminate about 1,200 positions, around 6 percent of its total workforce.
An open letter signed by nearly 2,000 scientists, including multiple Nobel Prize laureates, warned that the United States' global leadership in science is being “decimated.”
The letter, released Monday, describes a growing “climate of fear” in the research community. It mentions instances where scientists have removed their names from academic papers, halted studies, or revised proposals to exclude terms like “climate change,” which are now flagged as controversial by certain agencies.
“There’s a fire sale on American academics right now,” said Carl Bergstrom, a biology professor at the University of Washington, speaking to STAT News. He noted that the current political atmosphere is discouraging many from pursuing academic careers in the U.S.
Other countries are moving quickly to attract disillusioned U.S. scientists. France has launched an aggressive campaign, including Aix-Marseille University’s “Safe Place For Science” initiative, which aims to host around 15 American scientists with up to 15 million euros (about 16.2 million U.S. dollars) in funding over three years. The program has already received more than 150 applications.
Another French institution, Ecole Centrale de Marseille, has allocated 3 million euros for U.S.-originated research projects that are now stalled.
Spain’s Atrae initiative is offering grants exceeding 1 million U.S. dollars per scientist, while Canada is simplifying immigration for skilled researchers through programs such as Express Entry and the Global Talent Stream.
“You come to a country where the social majority trusts its scientists,” Spain’s Science Minister Diana Morant said during the March 2025 launch of Atrae’s third edition.
The potential long-term economic impact of this talent migration could be considerable. A joint study by Duke and Harvard universities showed that one in four engineering and tech companies founded in the U.S. between 1995 and 2005 had at least one immigrant founder, generating 52 billion U.S. dollars in revenue and creating 450,000 jobs.
Innovation may also take a hit, especially in high-tech sectors. The Silicon Valley Competitiveness and Innovation Project reports that 57 percent of STEM professionals with bachelor’s degrees or higher in Silicon Valley are foreign-born.
The MIT Technology Review reported last month that the U.S. risks losing the innovation engine that has driven 85 percent of its economic growth since 1945. Laboratories are canceling cancer studies and artificial intelligence projects, and hiring has been frozen at institutions like Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.