ABSTRACT
To provide a better picture of labor migration from the former Soviet republics to the United States, it is of paramount importance to look at who exactly is migrating to the United States in search of work. The profile of the migrant above unfortunately represents a typical story of post-Soviet irregular migrants in the United States, who, despite their high levels of education and professional skills, are forced to take up unskilled jobs in the informal labor markets abroad to overcome the deteriorating economic situation at home and to support the families they left behind. This chapter is based on interviews with 48 migrants from Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan presently working and living on the East Coast of the United States.1
