Abstract
Skilled migration regimes are widely framed as meritocratic systems designed to attract global talent and foster innovation. Highly educated migrants are selected on the assumption that their qualifications and experience will translate into professional success. Yet everyday recruitment practices often complicate this promise. Drawing on a qualitative-led study of 105 skilled migrants and 24 recruiters in Australia, this paper examines how merit is interpreted in organisational hiring contexts. The findings reveal a paradox: advanced degrees, extensive overseas experience and strong language credentials - attributes rewarded in migration policy - are frequently reframed as signals of overqualification, cultural misfit or organisational risk. Recruiters privilege local experience, communicative ease and perceived fit, thereby redefining what counts as legitimate expertise. Migrants respond by concealing qualifications, accepting downgraded roles or reshaping their professional identities to align with dominant expectations.Rather than a simple skills mismatch, these dynamics point to a process of organisational gatekeeping that reshapes the meaning of merit and regulates access to professional belonging. The paper raises critical questions about who is enabled to thrive - and under what conditions - within contemporary talent regimes.