Rising migration leaves advisory agencies richer

"The tuition for an international student is about three times that of a local one," she said.

"The children of most of our clients seeking to emigrate are in middle or high school, while some are even in primary school," Zhao said. "If you choose to emigrate before your children enter college overseas, you can save a lot of money, as the cost of immigration is less than tuition fees for an international student."

In addition, immigrants are often entitled to social welfare and health insurance just as local students are.

According to the 2014 report on Chinese international migration, immigrant students also have more job-hunting options, as they can choose to work in the country to which they migrated or in other countries.

Moreover, it is generally easier for them to get a job in the country where they study, as employers tend to prefer employees with permanent residency.

Bella Zhang, who went to Australia for a master's program in 2006, decided to try to immigrate after spending half a semester there.

"I decided to do this because I thought it was the right thing for me to do ," she said, although it did present a dilemma, as her parents were still living in China.

Zhang obtained permanent residency in Australia at the end of 2009.

After graduation, she found a job in Australia, and she worked there until mid-2011.

Ultimately, however, she decided to return to China and now works in Beijing.

"I returned primarily to be with my family," she said.

As an only child, Zhang said that she was constantly thinking about her parents when she lived in Australia.

Her parents, though, are still living in her hometown in Guizhou province,

while she works in Beijing.

Asked whether she would choose to go back with her parents to Australia, she said she couldn't say.

Armed with the immigration experience, Zhang said she hopes people considering doing so will take a deep breath before diving in.

"Immigration is what everyone could strive to do, but life after immigration is not perfect, as disadvantages as well as advantages still exist," she said.

The good thing about Australia, she said "is that young people don't have to worry about having to work extra hours in order to get a promotion, plus there the environment is clean and the food is safe.

"Something I didn't like was there weren't many entertainment options where I lived," she added.