María Belén Zanzuchi
María Belén Zanzuchi is a Policy Analyst at MPI Europe, where she conducts comparative research on refugee protection, including resettlement and complementary pathways, as well as on labour migration, irregular migration, and return migration.
Ms. Zanzuchi has contributed to multiple EU-funded projects, including on community sponsorship and refugee education and labour pathways. She is strengthening the evidence base by developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks and drafting evidence-informed recommendations and tools for policymakers and practitioners.
She has also contributed to labour migration research, including the setup of a policy lab focused on tackling skills shortages for the construction sector in the European Union, as part of a Horizon project on labour mobility (GS4S).
Before joining MPI Europe, she worked as a Teaching Assistant and Assistant Manager for an evaluation project at the University of Notre Dame, and as a Graduate Consultant for Catholic Relief Services. She also worked as an Economic Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce of Argentina.
Ms. Zanzuchi has a master’s degree in sustainable development from the University of Notre Dame, with a focus on refugee and migrant studies, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universidad Torcuato di Tella in Buenos Aires.
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Explore Content by María Belén Zanzuchi
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Making Labour Migration Pathways Work for Displaced People: Lessons from Latin America
As labour shortages intensify in many European countries, what would it take to make labour migration an option for people seeking safety?
Meeting Labour Skill Needs While Expanding Refugee Protection
Labour migration can be a way for qualified refugees to access protection in Europe while meeting destination countries' skill needs. How governments can make work visas more accessible to refugees?
Building Refugee-Inclusive Labour Mobility Pathways: A visa evaluation framework
This visa evaluation framework can help policymakers assess work visa accessibility for well-qualified refugees, permitting them to tap a underutilised pool of talent to fill labour gaps.
Best Practices for Designing and Managing Labour Migration Corridors to Europe
Weak visa access, poor skills recognition, and thin worker-employer matching hobble five EU labour corridors, with targeted reforms key to unlocking shared gains.
Europe’s Talent Race Starts at the Visa Counter
The European Commission's forthcoming visa strategy must be complemented by national-level policy change given that EU-wide channels represent a small share of total legal migration pathways to Europe. To compete more fully for global talent, European governments will need faster, clearer, and more predictable visa procedures, as this short read explains.
Reaching Irregular Migrants in Europe: Harnessing the value of counselling
Connecting with and providing counselling to irregular migrants is crucial for addressing irregular migration in Europe. This webinar explored outreach and counseling strategies for irregular migrants in Europe and related policies.
No One-Size-Fits-All: Outreach and counselling for irregular migrants
Outreach and counselling for irregular migrants in Europe remains fragmented; tailored, trust-based approaches show promise but need stronger data and shared success metrics.
The Future of Complementary Pathways: Paving the way for growth
Experts explored steps to unlock further growth and overcome obstacles to scaling refugee sponsorship initiatives and complementary pathway schemes, including education and labour-based programs, for those in need of international protection.
Complementary Pathways: Key factors in future growth
About 60 labour, family reunification and education programmes open to refugees operated in 2024. Scaling these complementary pathways requires government buy-in and stable funding.
Monitoring and Evaluation in Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways for Refugees and Other People in Need of International Protection
Embedding monitoring and evaluation in refugee sponsorship programmes from the start, with dedicated budgets and coordination, drives evidence-based improvement.
