tl;dr: A German IAB study found that skilled immigrants leave Germany primarily due to bureaucratic friction (slow visa/naturalization processing, credential recognition delays, high fees), inadequate language support, discrimination, and job mismatches where workers end up in roles below their qualifications. About 60% return home while 40% relocate to competing European countries like Spain and Switzerland. Recruiters argue that pre-arrival German language training and better retention infrastructure—such as the planned federal "Work and Stay" agency—are needed, since English-only pathways rarely lead to sustainable employment in Germany.