Bureaucratic processes and administrative procedures play a central role in producing differentiated statuses of legality and regularity. Over the past decade, Mexico has experienced a notable increase in the number of arrivals from a diverse range of countries of origin, with varied motivations and intentions to stay, transit, or seek asylum. As a result of this changing migration scenario, some foreign-born individuals lack valid migration documents, have expired residence permits, or have not obtained temporary or permanent residence authorization. In this research note, we use administrative data from the Mexican National Migration Institute, accessed through a request for information, to calculate the foreign-born population living in an irregular situation in Mexico and provide an overview of their main sociodemographic characteristics and countries of origin compared to those under temporary and permanent resident statuses. With this lower-bound calculation of irregularity, we aim to inform how legal pathways and socio-demographic characteristics have changed over time. Findings show age- and gender-based patterns and differences by country of birth, as well as an increase in irregularity over time, including a broad range of reasons for aiming at regularization. We hope this calculation and characterization of irregular migration—conceived not solely in terms of irregular entry—opens new avenues for research into how this phenomenon affects broader integration processes and how the Mexican case may be situated in a comparative regional perspective.

In addition to developed nations, the challenges of population ageing and declining fertility have also intensified in populous East Asian regions, prominently represented by China. Migrants serve as a critical urban labour resource in these countries and territories, and their fertility intentions directly affect long‐term population equilibrium and regional sustainability in destination areas. Drawing on two waves of the China General Social Survey (CGSS), this study investigates the mechanisms through which social integration shapes migrants' fertility intentions. A particular focus is placed on the mediating role of perceived fairness. Using a long‐difference model supplemented by heterogeneity analyses and mechanism tests, multiple pathways are identified that link social integration to migrants' fertility intentions. The findings reveal that: (1) Social integration tends to suppress migrants' fertility intentions, but perceived fairness partially buffers this effect and reshapes the decision logic. (2) Heterogeneity analyses show that new‐generation migrant workers exhibit higher fertility intention as social integration rises, a finding consistent with a strategic pursuit of urban identity via childbearing. Meanwhile, social integration has a homogeneously suppressive effect among migrants across educational groups and among those with rural Hukou. (3) During periods of fertility‐policy relaxation, lagging support services failed to translate into institutional trust, which in turn weakened policy effectiveness. Based on these distinct pathways, this study proposes multi‐level policy recommendations, offering insights and suggestions for migrant‐dense, ageing‐before‐affluent developing countries.

This study examines how digital literacy functions as a form of capital shaping the social cohesion experiences of Syrian migrant women in Istanbul, Türkiye. Through the lens of Bourdieu's field theory, we analyse how women utilize information and communication technologies (ICTs) to navigate sociocultural barriers and establish themselves within various social fields in their host country. Based on 24 in‐depth, semistructured interviews with Syrian migrant women, this research reveals the complex interplay between digital technologies and social cohesion processes. ICTs create vital bridges between cultural worlds, allowing women to maintain connections with their homeland while building networks within Turkish society. Online communities emerge as significant fields where social capital is generated and exchanged, creating spaces where women access information, share experiences and receive support. However, digital platforms simultaneously reflect and sometimes intensify existing inequalities, as women's ability to utilize these technologies depends on pre‐existing capitals, particularly education level and language proficiency. This digital engagement is further shaped by gender‐specific challenges and socio‐cultural norms that constrain women's online self‐presentation and online visibility.

This study explores the experiences of African migrant workers in Portugal's construction sector, focusing on how decent work and meaningful work coexist under structural vulnerability. Guided by the Psychology of Working Theory, semi‐structured interviews with 18 workers were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Findings reveal that temporary contracts, low wages, hazardous conditions and limited social protection constrain access to decent work. Despite these challenges, workers actively construct meaningful work through family‐oriented motivations, peer solidarity, and recognition from supervisors. Meaningful work emerges as a relational, situated process, shaped by structural conditions but not reducible to them. Individual and collective resilience sustain dignity, purpose and self‐worth, highlighting the non‐linear relationship between decent work and meaningful work. The results suggest that meaning at work can persist even in precarious contexts, emphasizing the importance of integrated labour policies and organizational practices that foster both decent work and meaningful work, supporting migrant workers' well‐being, agency and long‐term integration.

This article examines how refugee integration is governed in Turkey's small towns, where strong centralization, local discretion, and informal practices intersect. Drawing on an actor‐centred multi‐level governance (MLG) framework, it analyzes interactions among Provincial Directorates of Migration Management, municipalities, non‐governmental organizations, and refugee opinion leaders in two geographically, politically, and socioeconomically distinct small‐town contexts. Based on 24 semi‐structured interviews and policy analysis, the study shows that while integration governance in both towns is shaped by centralized authority and limited local autonomy, it unfolds through informal coordination, selective visibility, and reliance on personal ties. At the same time, important differences emerge in how local actors respond to these constraints, with one case producing a more cautious and the other a more exclusionary governance configuration. Overall, by focusing on small towns rather than metropolitan centres, the article demonstrates how urban scale magnifies political risk, informality and dependence on intermediary actors. In doing so, it advances a more differentiated and scale‐sensitive understanding of multi‐level governance under conditions of centralization and constrained local capacity.

The paper set out to answer how logics of racialisation and racism operate in the EU’s documents on anti-racism particularly in relation to Roma community, arguing that these policies paradoxically reproduce the racialisation they aim to dismantle. While the European Union frames racism—especially antigypsyism—as a matter of societal attitudes, the analysis demonstrates that EU institutions themselves continue to contribute to structural racism through policy language and implementation. Drawing on Critical Race Theory and Critical Romani Studies the paper employs critical discourse analysis to reveal patterns of deflection, denial, and distancing within key EU documents. It shows how Roma are constructed as a racialised “other,” often aligned with other marginalised groups in ways that reinforce exclusion. By foregrounding institutional responsibility, the paper challenges dominant narratives that externalise racism and highlights how EU frameworks sustain racism, ultimately undermining their stated commitment to anti-racism and equality.