2025 Concordia Annual Summit

Migration, Mobility & Market Growth: Safe and Legal Pathways to Prosperity

  • Advancing Human Rights & Social Progress
The Hon. Vassilis Kikilias, The Hon. Richard Verma, Jonathan Fantini-Porter, Amy Pope, Gideon Maltz

Session Summary

Important
Quotations

"Sometimes policy makers, opinion makers, are not exactly tuned into what the rest of society, of working people" or "Societies are shifting and they're obliging their leadership to shift with them."
The Hon. Vassilis Kikilias
"I might take issue with what some American people think, because we were welcomed into Western Pennsylvania in 1971 and embraced. That is the vision of America I believe in and strongly support."
The Hon. Richard Verma
"We look forward to continuing the partnership built across public and private entities, and to tackling this issue, which really lies at the center of so much for the world."
Jonathan Fantini-Porter
"Thinking about migration as a catalyst for development applies everywhere in the world, whether you’re in North America, South America, the islands, Asia, or elsewhere."
Amy Pope
"When refugees are resettled legally in the US, they have lower crime rates than Americans, higher workforce participation rates, and go on to found some of America’s most iconic companies."
Gideon Maltz

Key
Takeaways

  • Holistic Approach to Migration is Essential: Migration must be viewed as a catalyst for development rather than just a border security issue. The traditional silo approach of looking at migration only through security or border management lenses has proven insufficient for addressing the complex, global nature of human mobility.
  • Economic Integration Drives Success: Access to the mainstream digital economy and formal financial systems is crucial for migrant prosperity. When migrants can obtain proper documentation, fair wages, and banking services, they contribute significantly to their host societies while avoiding exploitation.
  • Private Sector Partnership is Critical: Companies can solve integration challenges more effectively than traditional approaches by adapting their hiring, screening, and integration processes rather than requiring migrants to change. This creates a business value proposition while addressing humanitarian needs.
  • Technology Enables Effective Solutions: Digital tools can match migrants with opportunities and provide essential services. MasterCard’s app for Ukrainian refugees helped 300,000 people and enabled 20% to resettle more efficiently by connecting them with job opportunities and affordable housing.
  • Political and Social Considerations Must Be Addressed: Public support requires balancing humanitarian obligations with legitimate concerns about security, economic opportunity for local populations, and maintaining legal pathways for migration. When done properly, legal migration produces better outcomes than irregular migration.

Action
Items

  • For Private Sector Leaders: Adapt hiring practices to accommodate migrant talent, invest in digital inclusion tools that connect migrants with services and opportunities safely, and frame migrant employment as a solution to labor shortages and demographic challenges.
  • For Policy Makers: Develop safe and legal migration pathways, implement long-term integration policies that consider community needs and migrant contributions, and foster public-private partnerships to leverage strengths across sectors.
  • For International Organizations: Scale proven models like technology-enabled resettlement tools and prepaid card systems, and focus on matching migrant skills with global labor market needs across all skill levels.
  • For All Stakeholders: Invest in sustained support for long-term integration, including workforce and community development, and proactively address root causes of migration such as climate change, conflict, and economic disparities.

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