Not every migration journey goes according to plan. While some migrants find opportunity abroad, others become stranded, exploited or forced to return home.

Over the past decade, Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) have helped address these risks by offering trusted guidance, counselling and practical support.

According to the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), which this year marks the 10th anniversary of the MRC initiative, what began as a pilot centre in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2016 has grown into a multi-country network supporting migrants, returnees and vulnerable communities across Asia and beyond.

The idea emerged from a simple reality: many migration-related harms stem not only from poverty or desperation, but from a lack of reliable information. Too often, migrants make life-changing decisions based on rumours, misinformation or false promises from smugglers, traffickers and unscrupulous recruiters.

ICMPD’s MRCs were designed to change that. They provide safe, trusted spaces where migrants can access information on legal migration pathways, labour opportunities, documentation requirements and the risks of irregular migration. They also support returnees and stranded migrants through counselling, referrals and reintegration assistance.

Over time, the centres have evolved from information hubs into broader support mechanisms, reflecting the reality that migration is rarely linear. Journeys often involve multiple departures, returns, periods of displacement and unexpected crises.

ICMPD says the MRC network now spans Pakistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, alongside a virtual centre serving Afghanistan. However, there are no MRCs on the African continent, according to an ICMPD spokesperson.

MRCs differ from Migration Response and Resource Centres (MRRCs), a model used widely by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) across Africa. While MRCs focus primarily on information, counselling and safer migration planning, MRRCs are more operational and humanitarian, providing direct assistance such as emergency shelter, food, medical care and assisted voluntary return for migrants in distress.

MRRCs can be found along major migration corridors across Africa, including in the Horn of Africa. One of the busiest is in Obock, a key transit point for migrants attempting the dangerous crossing to Yemen and the Gulf.

As migration routes become more complex and digital platforms enable smugglers and traffickers to reach vulnerable people more easily, access to credible information has become an increasingly important form of protection.

After 10 years, MRCs offer a clear lesson: safer migration begins with informed decisions, while effective protection also requires support for those whose journeys take an unexpected turn.