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AbstractThe recent literature on skilled migration has addressed the socially constructed nature of the notion and category of "skilled" migrants, revealing the roles of the host state and its admission policy in shaping these migrants. This article adds to the literature by examining how the host state can also socially (or politically) create "skilled" migrants through policy that facilitates the post‐study employment of international students. The extant research on the social construction of skill and skilled migration informs the hypothesizing of three strategic ways in which host states seek to retain international students who may otherwise be excluded from the host labour market after graduation: (1) the creation of new work permits, (2) the discretionary relaxing of criteria for issuing work visas and (3) the provision of skilling support for finding employment. The case of Japan empirically validates all these strategies and indicates the particular significance of the second strategy.