Many enter the labour market with qualifications and experience that are not easily transferable to the host country (OECD 2012). Across OECD countries about two thirds of immigrants hold a foreign qualification and research shows that they struggle to make use of their full potential: they are more often jobless and when they have a job, they are more often overqualified (OECD 2017a). Research evidence shows that giving recognition to migrants’ skills and qualifications improves their chances in the labour market - those who obtain formal recognition have better outcomes than those w'hose applications failed or who did not apply (OECD 2017a). The analytical work involved a desk-based literature review and new data analysis drawing on the OECD Survey of Adult Skills.