Inventory of programs aimed at attracting high-skilled migration to the EU

This report concentrates on four TEMPER country destinations (Italy, France, Spain and the UK) to explore the policies fostering the migration of high skilled immigrants (HSM). The report succinctly reviews the literature on the benefits of HSM and the policy innovations existing internationally. The country analysis is qualitative and does not refer to demographic dynamics. It shows that while HSM policies are largely developed and sophisticated in the UK than in France and, specially, in Spain and Italy, there is some space for convergence across countries. Despite its evident benefits, HSM policies are not a-cyclical and have suffered a number of adjustments during the economic downturn. The general approach to defining skills based on education has been overcome in all three countries. Only the UK and France have taken a decisive step forward in developing supply driven policy schemes, while Spain and Italy remains strictly attach to an underdeveloped demanddriven model