Navigating the complexities of Germany's Qualified Professionals Immigration Act (QPIA) can be challenging for potential migrants. While the law aims to facilitate immigration for international professionals, its actual outcomes frequently do not meet expectations. Potential migrants with limited awareness of or misinterpreting migration regulations may face challenges in making informed migration decisions. This qualitative study examines perceptions of the QPIA in Germany and the anticipated employability of potential migrants to understand disparities in migration decisions better. Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with 15 migrants and 10 key informants and using a qualitative, structured, type-building content analysis following Mayring (1985). The study incorporates the concept of employability competencies, emphasizing the competency of anticipation and optimization. Migrants with a strong level of anticipation and optimization demonstrate a well-developed awareness of migration regulations and interpret relevant regulations correctly. Paradoxically, their in-depth understanding often leads them to evaluate their anticipated employability more cautiously. Conversely, migrants with a low level of anticipation and optimization competency exhibit low awareness and misinterpret regulations. Despite this, they paradoxically anticipate their employability in Germany to be significantly high. We draw theoretical implications for developing a typology, emphasizing the importance of employability competencies and anticipated employability in migration decisions.
