Many expats who have had to leave because of the new visa policy plan to return after the Games, meaning there could be a wave of returnees in the autumn. Guatemalan architect Frisly Colop-Morales says about half the foreigners he knows have had to leave but adds: "They all will come back in October."

Colop-Morales was among those foreigners for whom the Games provided much of the allure for relocating to China.

"The Olympics were the trigger for the Chinese economic boom, which increased the opportunities for people in the architectural field and therefore made China the place to be for architects," says the 29-year-old, who came to Beijing in August 2006.

(Photo Source: China Daily) 

However, he plans to stick around to witness firsthand the changes of the post-Olympic period.

"I'm looking forward to seeing in which direction the architectural development turns after this period of massive construction," Colop-Morales says.

When Singaporean Kalyani Iyer was awarded a research fellowship last year, she says she could have chosen to use it anywhere in the world.

"I picked Beijing for a number of reasons, but the Olympics was one of them," the 25-year-old says.

However, she plans to stay another year after the Games are over.