Digitalization has dramatically expanded the scale and scope of cross-border trade for international businesses, whether multinational or medium- to small-sized exporting firms. In this paper, we examine how and the extent to which migrants facilitate cross-border digital trade between their country of origin and country of residence. We argue that the rise in digital trade between countries is observed, in part, due to the rise of international knowledge connections facilitated by cross-border migrant relationships. Empirical analysis of migration and digital trade panel data for the US's high- and upper-middle-income trading partners from 2000 to 2020 shows that recent migrants (or non-immigrants) to the US increased digital exports to their country of origin. More importantly, we find that permanent migrants (or immigrants) embedded in their country of residence not only increased digital exports to their country of origin but also facilitated greater digital knowledge exchange between the countries.
