Abstract This article introduces a special issue on the labour market integration of highly skilled refugees in Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, three countries that received a large number of asylum seekers in the mid‐2010s. Authorities have devised various policies that aim to speed up the labour market integration process for refugees. This article critically examines normalized assumptions about refugees and the causes for their low employment rates that inform existing labour market integration initiatives. We pay particular attention to highly skilled refugees, who generally want to work but tend to experience difficulties finding employment commensurate with their educational attainment and professional expertise. This issue warrants more attention as one in five refugees in Europe has completed a tertiary education.