The Congress work in the field of migration focuses on the integration of migrants and foreign residents into local and regional host communities, their participation in public and political life at the grassroots level, protection of their rights and their access to social rights and public services such as housing, education, employment and health care, as well as on fostering intercultural and interreligious dialogue and good intercultural relations. This work is pursued in particular through the promotion of intercultural municipal policies, of consultative councils of foreign residents at local and regional level and of the right to vote and stand in local elections for foreign residents, guaranteed under the Council of Europe Convention on the Participation of Foreigners in Public Life at Local Level of 1992 (Convention 144).

In the area of integration and participation, the Congress’ work resulted in recommendations on the participation of foreign residents in local public life (2000), consultative councils of foreign residents (2002), “A pact for the integration and participation of people of immigrant origin in Europe’s towns, cities and regions” (2004), as well as on improving the integration of migrants through local housing policies (2008) and on equality and diversity in local authority employment and service provision (2009). The Congress helped to establish the Cities of Local Integration Policy (CLIP) Network, which today brings together some 40 cities from across Europe.

The Congress also co-organised conferences on the participation by foreign residents in public life at local level (Strasbourg, France, 5-6 November 1999), on foreigners' integration and participation in European cities (Stuttgart, Germany, 15-16 September 2003) and on integrating foreign residents into local public life: challenges and prospects (Strasbourg, France, 15 October 2010).

In 2006, the Congress elaborated 12 principles of interreligious dialogue for local authorities, which laid down the groundwork for its action to foster intercultural and interreligious dialogue and to build productive intercultural relations at the grassroots. Its activities resulted in recommendations for developing intercultural municipal policies (2009) and on meeting the challenge of inter-faith and intercultural tensions at local level (2011). Since 2008, the Congress has been cooperating closely with the Intercultural Cities joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Commission.