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Migration
From Migrating to Prosperity

Economic integration as the key to migrant inclusion
2.0 Minutes
The migrant transition from obteining id to entrepenuer, to prosper
© FNF Mexico

From Migrating to Prosperity synthesizes the findings of the international conference “De Migrar a Prosperar,” held in Mexico City in May 2026, together with companion research on migrant pathways in Mexico and Türkiye. Its central argument is that economic integration should not be treated as the final stage of integration. Instead, access to work, financial services and entrepreneurship can serve as a foundation for broader social and political inclusion.

The paper identifies documentation as the gateway to formal employment, financial inclusion and long-term economic participation. It also highlights the importance of geography: containment policies often leave migrants in economically disadvantaged border regions, where labor-market opportunities are weaker. Access to basic financial products, meanwhile, improves both employment and self-employment outcomes.

Examples from Nuevo León, Gaziantep and North Rhine-Westphalia demonstrate the value of locally coordinated services, long-term public funding, case management and integrated employment support. The paper also emphasizes that migrant entrepreneurship is not primarily a training problem, but an ecosystem challenge requiring coaching, market access, finance, digital tools and sustained support.

The document concludes with ten policy proposals, including early documentation, stronger local governance, one-stop inclusion centers, case management, financial access, private-sector engagement, psychosocial support, inclusive digital infrastructure and more practical public communication about migration. Its overarching message is that migrants should be recognized not merely as recipients of assistance, but as economic contributors and co-creators of the societies in which they live

From Migrating to Prosperity Economic integration of migrants

From Migrating to Prosperity Economic integration of migrants

From Migrating to Prosperity examines how migrants can become active contributors to economic and social development. Based on the international conference “De Migrar a Prosperar,” held in Mexico City in May 2026, and complementary research on Mexico and Türkiye, the policy paper challenges the view that economic integration is merely the final stage of a longer integration process. Instead, it argues that access to documentation, formal employment, financial services and entrepreneurship is a foundation for social and political inclusion.

Drawing on experiences from Mexico, Türkiye, Germany and other regions, the publication highlights the importance of local governance, long-term funding, coordinated services, private-sector engagement and migrant-led entrepreneurship. It also examines barriers such as informality, limited access to banking, qualification-recognition delays, bureaucratic fragmentation and insufficient psychosocial support.

The paper concludes with ten policy proposals designed to make migrant economies more visible, financeable and connected to broader systems of opportunity. Its central message is that migrants should not be viewed only as beneficiaries of support, but as entrepreneurs, workers, consumers and co-creators of the societies in which they live.

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