Visitors sit on sofas below the Baidu logo in the reception area of the company's headquarters in Beijing, China. Tomohiro Ohsumi | Bloomberg | Getty Images

According to the latest figures of the US Department of Homeland Security, there were 13.1 million green card holders in the United States at the start of 2013, almost two-thirds of whom had acquired permanent residency in the previous 13 years. The mainland began giving out green cards in 2004, but just 7,356 foreigners have been given permanent residency in the first 10 years of the scheme, despite an estimated 600,000 people from overseas working there. Last year, 1,576 foreigners were made permanent residents, an increase of 163 per cent over the previous year. Demand for skilled workers in the tech sector has grown in recent years as the internet culture and e-commerce matures on the mainland, with companies such as e-commerce giant Alibaba and telecoms firm Huawei becoming industry leaders. Miao Lu, secretary general of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based think tank, said securing top talent was critical if the nation was to become a globally influential power. Trump's stance against immigration offered Beijing an ideal opportunity to lure those workers, Lu said. Chinese President Xi Jinping said early last month the mainland should overhaul its permanent residency regime. People's Daily reported the next day that a new version of the green card, with improved security features, would be rolled out this year.