First Impressions Matter: Feeling Welcome and Onward Migration Intentions of Highly Skilled Migrants

In the context of the global competition for highly skilled migrants, policy makers follow different approaches to attract and retain this highly sought-after group. One common assumption is that the establishment of a welcoming culture can facilitate the retention of highly skilled migrants. Relatively little is known, however, about the impact such policies can have on highly skilled migrants' decisions to remain in the destination country. We address this gap by analysing the association between feeling welcome and highly skilled migrants' spatial intentions. We use a mixed methods approach that combines a survey conducted among highly skilled migrants in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine (n = 410) and two rounds of semi-structured interviews (wave 1: n = 67; wave 2: n = 49). Our results suggest that respondents who feel welcome are more likely to have the intention to stay in the region permanently. This association is stronger for migrants with relatively more agency. The paper underlines the importance of early experiences in the host country and the role of subjective and intangible factors like feeling welcome in migration decision-making.