In my previous post, I reflected on what structural openness really looks like and where support and flexibility could make a real difference.
Today, I want to look at the other side.
At the people who actively choose Germany but often do not feel like they were truly chosen in return.
These two perspectives belong together.
Because sustainable integration does not come from adaptation alone. It requires reciprocity.
What happens to those who choose us?
I have met international professionals who moved here with everything you could ask for: education, experience, language skills, motivation.
They did not come because they had to.
They came because they believed they could contribute.
And still, what they often encounter is not recognition,
but doubt.
Not support,
but silence.
Not “Welcome”,
but “We will see.”
Sometimes, you can do everything right and still feel wrong.
Because in some places, looking like you belong still matters more than the value you bring.
And that is a loss.
Not just for them.
For all of us.
If “Made in Germany” is meant to last, it needs more than engineers and experts.
It needs trust.
It needs a new understanding of what belonging looks like and who gets to be seen as part of our shared success.
What would it take for Germany to truly choose back those who choose us?