Main problem: The literature on regional entrepreneurship tends to neglect interregional human capital flows, and yet spatial mobility provides emerging entrepreneurs with knowledge and networks in different locations to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between mobility and entrepreneurship. Methods: Examined how multidisciplinary experience and non-local knowledge provide migrants with the desire for opportunity-based entrepreneurship. The connection between the regional environment and entrepreneurial motives based on opportunities for people with and without spatial mobility is shown. The analysis of data from a survey of labor force dynamics is presented, which compares the characteristics and driving forces of entrepreneurial motives of migrants and local residents. A survey has been conducted that indicates a higher prevalence of opportunity-based entrepreneurship among migrant entrepreneurs compared to their local counterparts. Official Kazakh statistics do not take into account the impact of internal migrants on the development of the economy and welfare of the region to which they moved. Results and their relevance: Based on the analysis and survey, it was found that the experience of spatial mobility significantly increases the likelihood of entering an opportunity-based business. The regional environment influences the entrepreneurial motives of migrants and non-migrants, but in different ways. Local entrepreneurs are more affected by the endogenous nature of the firm, while migrant entrepreneurs start businesses based on both local needs and external linkages with wider market areas. The regional environment influences the entrepreneurial motives of migrants and non-migrants, but the experience of spatial mobility significantly increases the likelihood of starting a business based on the opportunities of migrants.