The European Union has launched a €10 million initiative in Costa Rica aimed at expanding support for migrants, refugees and people seeking international protection. The program, called HOPE, will focus on regularization, legal assistance, access to services and economic inclusion, while also strengthening Costa Rican institutions and the communities receiving migrant populations.
The initiative was presented at the Refugee Unit of Costa Rica’s General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners, known as DGME. The program brings together international agencies, development organizations and local institutions to address one of the country’s most pressing social challenges.
HOPE will support migration and asylum procedures, access to documentation, legal guidance, essential services and social protection. It will also promote job training, skills development, employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship, with planned participation from the private sector.
For many people seeking protection in Costa Rica, documentation can determine whether they are able to work formally, access public services, rent housing more easily or move through daily life with greater stability.
The program will place special emphasis on Costa Rica’s northern region, particularly communities near the border with Nicaragua. Upala, Los Chiles and San Carlos are expected to be key areas of focus because of their role as entry and settlement points for migrant populations.
Those communities have seen sustained pressure from migration flows in recent years, especially from Nicaraguans who left their country because of political repression, economic hardship or safety concerns. Costa Rica has also received migrants and asylum seekers from Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia and other countries in the region.
The launch comes as Costa Rica continues to face a large backlog in its asylum system and growing pressure on public services in communities that host displaced people. More than 300,000 Nicaraguans have sought asylum in Costa Rica since 2018, making the country one of the main destinations in the region for people requesting international protection.
The HOPE program is designed to move beyond emergency reception and toward long-term integration. That means helping migrants regularize their status, enter the labor market, contribute to local economies and participate more fully in the communities where they live.
The initiative also aims to reduce pressure on host communities by supporting institutions and local services. In border areas, where migration is part of daily life, that support could become especially important for schools, health services, municipal offices and social programs.
Costa Rica has long presented itself as a place of refuge in Central America, but the scale of recent migration has tested its capacity. The new EU-backed program gives additional resources to manage that pressure while trying to avoid leaving thousands of people in legal and economic limbo.
The success of HOPE will likely depend on how quickly support reaches the communities most affected by migration, and whether documentation, job opportunities and institutional assistance translate into real improvements for both migrants and Costa Rican host communities.
