R etirement and health benefits for M exican migrant workers returning from the U nited S tates

In the absence of a bilateral agreement for the portability and totalization of social security contributions between the U nited S tates and M exico, this article examines the access to pension and health insurance benefits and employment status of older M exican return migrants. We find that return migrants who have spent less than a year in the U nited S tates have a similar level of access to social security benefits as non‐migrants. Return migrants who have spent at least a year in the U nited S tates are less likely to have public health insurance or social security benefits, and could be more vulnerable to poverty in old age. These results inform the debate on a bilateral social security agreement between the U nited S tates and M exico to improve return migrants' social security.