Highly skilled Russian migrants in London: The case of IT professionals

 
11.10.2017
 
Center for Science and Technology Studies (STS Center)

An article by Lilia Zemnukhova "Highly skilled Russian migrants in London: The case of IT professionals has been published at the first issue of "Urban studies and Practices" (Vol. 2 # 1, 2017)

This article analyses Russian IT professionals as highly skilled migrants in London. The context of Russian-British migration has determined the emergence and development of four waves: each of them represents a certain set of circumstances for newcomers to move to, to work in, and to live in the global city. The main idea is to show the transformation of a specific population through the four waves of highly skilled migration to London. This study is based on biographical interviews and observations collected in London in 2013–2015. I claim that the dynamics of local professional and language-based communities, on one hand, were determined by these waves of highly skilled Russian migration, and on the other, shaped their practices of capitalization of various resources.

Key words: highly skilled migration; Russian IT professionals; London; immigration policy; networks; communities