At Dream World, we assist with high-skilled migration, which involves the relocation of individuals typically possessing university education (ISCED 5-6), significant experience, or a blend of both. In certain instances, public policy frameworks may utilize salary thresholds, such as the Blue Card system, to define high-skilled migration.
“Immigration services” encompasses any form of assistance for immigration matters offered by different agencies and professionals. The primary agency responsible for immigration services is the federal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
For early policy development support, Salt (1997) proposed a categorization of temporary highly skilled migrants based on occupation and mobility patterns. His aim was to conceptualize a framework that accommodates the diversity of highly skilled individuals, the varied composition of migration flows, and differing mobility patterns. Notably, he excluded permanent immigrants, business travelers, and migrants experiencing deskilling in their new occupations in the destination country, working in “unskilled” or “lesser-skilled” professions despite tertiary education. He focused on foreigners employed in occupations typically associated with highly skilled individuals but who migrate through short-term mobility schemes rather than specialized immigration channels for highly skilled workers. This introduced a clear distinction between migrants using immigration channels and mobile professionals within highly skilled migration studies.
Similarly, Mahroum (1999) proposed five distinct categories of highly skilled migrants, whom he classified as mobile individuals. He used the NOC classification to determine their skill level and occupations, assigning them nicknames that underscored their temporary status, a crucial aspect of his definition of highly skilled migrants. These categories included:
(i) Managers & Executives – “accidental tourists”,
(ii) Engineers & Technicians – “economy class passengers”,
(iii) Academics & Scientists – “pilgrims”,
(iv) Entrepreneurs – “explorers”, and
(v) Students – “passengers”.