This volume examines self-initiated expatriates (SIEs), the category
of highly skilled people whose movement from one country to another is
by choice. Although they are not forced to relocate due to work,
conflict or natural disaster, their migration pattern is every bit as
complex. The book challenges previous theoretical approaches that take
for granted a more simplistic view of this population, and advances that
mobility of SIEs relates to the expatriates themselves, their
conditions and the different structures intervening in their career life
course. With their visible increase worldwide, this book positions
itself as a nexus for this on-going discussion, while linking
self-initiated expatriation to the theoretical landscape of
international skilled migration and mobility. Major interests that catch
attention are transnational practices, work-related experiences and
personal life course, including forms of inequalities in their migration
experiences. The book identifies forms and drivers of migratory
behaviour and provides an argument concerning the broader processes of
mobility and integration. As such, this book constitutes a departure
point for future research in terms of theoretical underpinnings and
empirical rigor on global highly skilled mobility of SIEs. The
collection of empirical case studies offers an insightful analysis for
policy makers, concerned stakeholders and organizations to better cope
with this form of migration.