Abstract

Based on a larger study on mobility projects and networks of 134 Filipino nurses, domestics, and care workers in New York and London, this chapter examines how Filipino migrant workers “claim” their “rightful” place in the place of destination within the context of underappreciation for the kind of work that they do. Research participants tend to position themselves as valuable by differentiating themselves from the stereotypical image of migrants who are just after the benefits they can get from the “host” country. Their feelings of belongingness and “deservingness to be there” are also validated by the recognition that participants get from their work and perceived greater purpose of their role as care providers.At the same time, the financial security that they were able to attain allows them not only to become a part of the “host” society but, more importantly, of their “home” country. Being able to afford the “good life” means that they are not located at the periphery in their homeland. However, while care work allows participants to see themselves as deserving to be in the place of destination given their contribution, being employed in what is deemed as low-status job can also make migrants feel that they are living on the margins of the “host” society and that they do not really belong.Thus, these ambivalences concerning migrants’ claims-making and struggles for recognition through care work could be conceptualized as Irene Bloemraad’s notion of “structured agency.” On the one hand, claiming recognition conforms to certain normative ideals, such as being a “good migrant” or a “good citizen.” It is also constrained by immigration regimes and practices of “controlled inclusion.” On the other hand, claims-making is also agentic as migrants try to fulfill their migration projects and assert their right to have better futures for themselves and their families.