Abstract Background Data and knowledge on the migrant health workforce are poorly developed, and we do not understand which institutional contexts may foster responsible governance. This introduction seeks to set the scene for critical debate by placing the structure and composition of the migrant health workforce in the context of health systems and policy. The aim is to confront growing nationalism and populism with the important contribution of migrant carers to health system performance and the health of the population. Methods A comparative approach was applied and a rapid review of available data and research undertaken. Five EU countries were selected which represent different healthcare systems, health workforce patterns and political contexts in high-income countries, comprising Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, UK. Results The migrant workforce pattern show high variation. The number of physicians is highest (around 28%) in the UK, and low in Austria, Denmark and Italy (below 5%) while Germany is in a middle position (around 10%). The picture turns when looking at nurses and carers, where Italy and Germany for instance are placed in higher ranks. The results suggest three things: no coherent patterns of health system types and composition of the migrant care workforce can be identified. There is also no clear connection between the size of the migrant health workforce and the relevance of populist movements. And finally, the migrant carers remain largely absent in the policy debates; none of the health systems has develop a comprehensive governance model that ‘cares’ for the migrant carers and that could help to highlight their contribution against the threats of growing nationalism and populism. Conclusions There is a need for comprehensive European monitoring and research to develop more inclusive health workforce governance and to identify institutional conditions that improve capacity and capability for ‘care’ ‘of the migrant health workforce.