This paper focuses on the specific issues of how highly skilled migrants encounter risks and the hedging mechanisms they employ when confronted with unfriendly policies or economic downturns in a host country. The paper also serves as an introduction to a special issue of Population, Space, and Place dedicated to understanding how highly skilled migration responded in different national contexts to the first great global economic recession of the 21st century. Although the individual papers do not necessarily employ a comparative perspective, these topics are explored in four different settings (UK, US, Israel, and Canada), allowing readers to see how the history and characteristics of the host country influence the issues facing skilled migrants Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.