Abstract:

This paper examines the impact of migrant precarity and exploitation within the broader context of global mobility. Drawing on a case study of Uzbek immigrants in Sweden, Russia and Turkey, the study aims to shed light on the often-hidden and precarious lives of this community, unveiling their daily coping strategies.

Even though undocumented status emerges as a central theme in these three migration-regime contexts, having a fluid effect on migrants’ lifeworlds depending on geographic, contextual and immigration legal regime-specific conditions. A substantial segment of Uzbek migrant workers in these three migration regimes, predominantly employed in sectors like cleaning, construction, and restaurants, fall victim to unscrupulous employers offering minimal wages or charging fees for facilitation services. However, their lifeworlds, coping strategies and agency are contingent on the existence of unofficial and extra-legal channels and strategies that provide alternative means of redress and adaptation into the host society and the labour market. Contributing to discussions on the nexus between informal economies and migrant labour, the research illustrates that migrants "working under shadows" are migration regime-specific in terms of creating vulnerabilities, radicalisation and the formation of ethnic enclaves.

Using ethnographic methods, the research examines the context-specific strategies migrants employ to negotiate the complex landscape of legal regulations and informal practices. Understanding the dynamic interplay between formal laws and informal institutions is crucial to comprehend the challenges and opportunities migrants face in their quest for mobility.

By focusing on migrants’ informal practices in Sweden, Russia and Turkey, the paper aims to uncover fluid and context-dependent adaptive strategies migrants employ to navigate, utilise, and resist laws regulating their working conditions. This exploration contributes to the broader discourse on global mobility law, addressing norms, legal geographies, and theoretical perspectives in understanding the complexities surrounding migrant precarity and exploitation.