18 December 2025
The European Commission’s forthcoming visa strategy marks an effort to attract the international students, researchers, skilled workers, and start-ups who can help bring new vitality to an aging continent that faces shrinking workforces and skills gaps. Yet EU-wide channels account for only a small share of total legal migration pathways to Europe, and there is much work for national governments to do to improve inefficient visa policies and procedures that prevent otherwise qualified candidates from accessing education and labour pathways, as a new Migration Policy Institute Europe short read outlines. Persistent delays in getting a visa appointment, high costs, inconsistent decisions, and lack of transparency around processing timelines create bottlenecks that can harm Europe’s innovation and economic growth, analysts Kate Hooper, Nurbanu Hayir, and María Belén Zanzuchi write. Drawing on concrete examples, the short read offers clear, actionable recommendations to tackle bureaucratic hurdles and inefficient processes. ‘Visa processing may seem like a bureaucratic afterthought, but its consequences ripple across entire economies,’ the authors write. Click here to read this short read: www.migrationpolicy.org/news/europe-talent-race-visas. You can also explore other MPI Europe publications at www.mpieurope.org. |
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| Migration Policy Institute Europe, which is based in Brussels, provides authoritative research and practical policy design to governmental and non-governmental stakeholders who seek more effective management of immigration, immigrant integration and asylum systems, as well as better outcomes for newcomers, families of immigrant background and receiving communities throughout Europe. For more on its work, visit www.mpieurope.org. |
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