​The last decade has seen growing interest in the analysis of bilateral and regional migration arrangements since most cases of migration in the Global South are internal or regional. Against this background, the study focuses on the special case of migration between Egypt and Sudan. It raises the central question of why the two countries have failed to achieve a model of integration on the basis defined by classical and modern theories of regional integration, despite the fact that the basic elements—material (i.e., the complementarity of Sudan's natural resources and Egypt's human resources) and non-material (i.e., common identity)—of this integration already exist. The study argues that the common identity of the Nile valley, the privileges enjoyed by Sudanese migrants in Egypt, and their social networks may have facilitated the movement of millions of Sudanese to Egypt. However, historical political sensitivities, policies followed by successive governments, bureaucratic hurdles, and the complexities of Sudan's social structure have hindered the implementation of integration arrangements that were supposed to ensure bilateral freedom of movement and residence.