Factors that influence the formation of migration attitudes of highly skilled workers

The key issues of the paper are: 1) what are the social forces that impact, support and implement the highly skilled professionals' potential to migrate? 2) What factors determine the highly skilled migration to foreign countries? This paper is based on in-depth interviews conducted with Lithuanian health professionals, having international migration experience. The affects of physical and social working environment, social networks in general, educational experience, as well as various short-term visits to the economically strong countries were under consideration. The formation of migratory attitudes is a relatively long process, taking place first at the mental level. Short-term work, study visits are important factors affecting the informants' attitudes to the working environment, professional development opportunities in Lithuania, by comparison with existing abroad. In the period from first thought about migration till migration action the "suffering" stage is showing up, characterized by social deprivation and experienced frustration, permanent self-comparison with others, working abroad.