Embedding in Motion: Analysing Relational, Spatial and Temporal Dynamics among Highly Skilled Migrants

Narratives of Settling in Contexts of Mobility: A Comparative Analysis of Irish and Polish Highly Qualified Women Migrants in London

“…Thus, child‐based sociality can provide opportunities for “embedding” in specific spatial contexts (for a discussion see Ryan and Mulholland, ).…”

“…Cait and Izabela, mentioned above, had particular skills that could transfer to other labour markets. Nonetheless, instead of enabling future onward mobility or return to professional occupations in the home country, investing time and energy in career development could also result in ‘embedding’ into specific spatial contexts (Ryan and Mulholland, ). For many participants there was a growing realization that credentials built up in the British labour market, particularly in the specific economic environment of London as a global city, were not necessarily easily transportable back to the country of origin.…”

“…Integration has become a politically charged concept that assumes a linear and permanent adjustment to the “host” society. As argued elsewhere, such a view of integration as a static, achieved state overlooks the ongoing spatio‐temporal dynamism of migrants’ complex and contingent relationships in the home and host countries (Ryan and Mulholland, ). It also underestimates how migrant decision‐making may be informed by actors’ comparative evaluation of opportunities and obstacles elsewhere, including the homeland and other countries.…”

“…The focus on intra‐EU mobilities, has meant that, with some recent exceptions (Ryan and Mulholland, ; Grzymala‐Kazlowska, ; Koelet et al., ), surprisingly little academic attention has been paid to how European migrants negotiate attachments, belonging and processes of settling in destination countries (Collett, ; Erdal and Oeppen, ). Challenging assumptions within the migration literature, my initial research on Polish migration to the UK (Ryan et al., ) already began to find evidence of family reunions, family formations and growing numbers of Polish children in British schools; suggesting that patterns of longer term stays were beginning to emerge.…”

The politics of embedding and the right to remain in post-Brexit Britain

“…In the article, we draw on the notion of embedding and an earlier conceptualization of embeddedness, which bring to the fore migrants' attachments and ties to people and places that foster 'a sense of rootedness and integration in the local environment' (Korinek, Entwisle and Jampaklay, 2005: 780). Both of these concepts are used in migration studies to explain migration trajectories and decision-making (Erel and Ryan, 2019;Korinek et al, 2005;Ryan and Mulholland, 2015). They also play a key role in the application of the right for permanent residence and citizenship because, during such an application process, the applicant must be able to demonstrate a degree of social, economic and cultural embedding in a country.…”