Purpose The purpose of this paper is to characterize the immigrant entrepreneurs of the Region of Antofagasta and identify their contribution to local development. Design/methodology/approach This is a descriptive study with a quantitative approach. Face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire were carried out with a sample of 314 immigrant entrepreneurs in the city of Antofagasta. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and mean difference. Findings The results show a new type of entrepreneur that cannot be fully described by the theories developed for South-North immigrant entrepreneurs. The concept of the South-South entrepreneur is therefore proposed, in order to categorise these entrepreneurs and explain their behaviour, with the conclusion that this group makes a significant contribution to the local economy, both in terms of job and wealth creation and by broadening the availability of goods and services. Practical implications Given that immigrant entrepreneurs are a valuable socio-economic asset to the city in terms of job and wealth creation and service diversification, public administrations should endeavour to support these individuals and attract them to the city. Social implications Knowledge of the contribution of this group will lead to a greater acceptance of immigrants who have recently been rejected by certain sectors of the population. Originality/value This study reveals the existence of a group of immigrant entrepreneurs whose characteristics and contribution to local development were previously not known.