Attracting Highly Qualified and Qualified Third-Country Nationals

The aim of this focussed study was to outline policies and concrete practical measures in Member States that aim to attract (highly) qualified third-country nationals. More specifically, the study aimed to achieve the following objectives: Provide an overview of national policies and EU acquis aimed at attracting (highly) qualified third-country nationals for the purpose of work; Outline concrete practical measures which are implemented to achieve the goals of the national policies; Investigate available evaluative evidence and inform practitioners, policy officers, decision makers and others about the effectiveness (or non-effectiveness) of different practical measures for attracting (highly) qualified third-country nationals where possible; Map labour migration agreements specifically targeting (highly) qualified third-country nationals and analysing their effectiveness, also in the framework of Mobility Partnerships, if relevant; Identify challenges or barriers that affect the attractiveness of an EU Member State for (highly) qualified third-country nationals’ immigration; Draw conclusions on good practices and lessons learnt with regard to attracting (highly) qualified third-country nationals.