That happened a lot in countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.. People came with next to nothing but the land was good and they where granted land and prospered..
Of course these days the opportunity for late comers is no where near as good as the first in best dressed people.. But these nations still like to sell themselves as nations of opportunity for new comers.. The business elites love having an oversupply of workers to drive down salaries and conditions.. Lots of people arrive expecting a paradise only to end up as virtual peasants working for lower them minimum wage..
The Early Birds got the wealth in these nations..
