Intersecting Margins: Analysing the Integration of Global South Student Migrants through Migration, Labour Market, and Housing Patterns in Italy

Abstract

This paper investigates the intersection of migration, labour markets, and housing patterns through the experiences of student migrants from the Global South, with a particular focus on Italy. As student migration from the Global South increases, countries such as Italy face both opportunities and challenges in integrating these students into their socio-economic structures. The paper focuses on how race, legal status, and national policy environments shape access to employment, housing, and long-term settlement. Drawing on human capital theory and migration decision-making perspectives, the paper examines how Global South student migrants represent potential sources of skilled human capital for Italy, while highlighting how labour market barriers, housing constraints, and institutional conditions influence whether this potential translates into long-term integration.
However, many face structural barriers, limited access to part-time jobs, labour exploitation, racial discrimination, and exclusion from affordable housing, often resulting in onward migration or return after graduation. These dynamics raise questions about inclusivity, development, and the effectiveness of EU regional policy. We propose the need for more structured pathways for student retention in Italy, despite persistent challenges.
Through a mixed-method approach, the study combines secondary data (Eurostat, OECD) and survey responses from students and recent graduates (2022–2025). The research illustrates how national and institutional contexts shape individual migration trajectories. The findings underscore the centrality of housing access and labour market participation in shaping graduate retention decisions, with broader implications for debates on brain drain, brain gain, and brain circulation, that is, whether migrant talent is lost to origin countries, retained in destination countries, or circulated transnationally. We argue for inclusive policy frameworks at both national and EU levels to support Global South student migrants, particularly racialized individuals, as vital contributors to economic growth and regional development.