Net migration of tech professionals to Europe fell by half in recent years, amid rising tensions over migration and changing visa rules across the region.
While 52k more people arrived to work in Europe than left in 2022, that figure fell to 26k in 2024, according to Atomico’s State of European Tech report released on Wednesday.
It indicates that while Europe continues to attract tech talent, its net inflow is shrinking.
A number of European countries pushed for big changes to their migration policies in 2025. In June, the UK raised the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa, as well as the number of years an individual needs to live in the UK to remain indefinitely.
Germany implemented several policies in 2023 and 2024 to ease migration for skilled workers. However, some have already been reversed, including the “fast track” route to citizenship — which enabled people deemed “exceptionally well integrated” to gain citizenship in three years instead of five — following the election of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in May this year.
The EU Blue Card salary threshold in Germany also rose in 2025, further reshaping entry routes for skilled workers.
These shifts — alongside the rise of far-right parties and political pressure to restrict migration — have also made some tech professionals think twice about moving to Europe.
“Since 2022, Europe’s ability to attract tech talent has weakened due to a combination of geopolitical instability, high living costs, growing anti-immigration rhetoric and the eternal bureaucratic complexity,” says Ana Alvarez, founder of Migrapreneuer which helps migrants found businesses in Germany.
“Shifting government priorities and slower citizenship or visa pathways have further weakened Europe’s image as an open, forward-looking destination for skilled workers.”
Alvarez warns the drop in net migration could further limit productivity growth and weaken Europe’s position in key sectors like AI, cybersecurity and green technology that are already facing continent-wide skills shortages.
Grass is greener elsewhere
While attracting talent to Europe is one thing, retaining it presents another set of challenges.
Atomico’s report shows net inflow of senior professionals is edging towards zero, and it mapped 1k professionals leaving the continent to work at Big Tech companies like Amazon and Meta.
“This is something to be very cautious about and something we need to discuss how to change,” says Karoli Hindriks, founder and CEO of Jobbatical, a provider of visa and immigration services for companies.
“In Europe we are dreaming of becoming the builders of trillion-dollar companies, but if the senior talent leaves, then we won’t only lose the people that could be building those trillion dollar companies, we lose the angel investors writing the cheques and mentoring those younger founders.”
Destinations like North America and the Gulf are becoming increasingly more attractive for European founders and senior professionals, stoking fears of “brain drain.”
Atomico’s data shows Europe still loses more tech talent than it gains to the US, Canada and Australia in particular. The United Arab Emirates is also growing in popularity for founders and executives seeking a tax-free, business-friendly haven.
The US, however, is experiencing its own slowdown. In 2022, 48k more people arrived to work in the US than left; in 2024, that number dropped to 29k.
The hiking of the application fee for the US’ H-1B visa has further complicated the immigration process for European startups wanting to move across the Atlantic, causing some to think twice about relocation.
Some VCs and founders argue the shifting landscape creates an opening for Europe to reposition itself and attract talent back to the continent.
“Europe needs a coordinated, strategically-open approach to attract global tech talent,” says Alvarez. “At the very least, a consistent political message affirming skilled migration is central to competitiveness would help restore confidence among global professionals.”
The continent could work on fostering public-private partnerships to simplify hiring and relocation, and cutting bureaucracy via the creation of digital systems to ease the immigration process for professionals coming from overseas, says Alvarez.
Hindriks adds that in the UK the cost of visas, housing and schooling, as well as the ability to bring dependents and spouses are all things that should be taken into account by policymakers as they “matter as much as salary to senior talent.”
Despite the fall in net migration, Europe’s pool of tech professionals continues to expand, increasing 4% to 4.6m people in the past year, according to Atomico’s data.
