This article focuses on skilled migration flows from Southern Europe into Mexico. From semi-structured interviews with Spanish and Italian immigrants living in four Mexican cities of Mexico, it addresses both reasons for immigration and labour incorporation in Mexican labour markets. Specifically, it explores: i) the role of the economic crisis and the lack of good employment in the countries of origin as a key factor when deciding an international migration; ii) the employment opportunities offered in Mexican labour markets for the highly-skilled immigrants, and iii) the role played by the Mexican state and its current immigration law when channelling this group into the labour marke