Overseas staff have been described as the 'saviours of British nursing' and it has been mooted that some healthcare organisations, particularly in the independent sector, would cease to function without them (Buchan 2003). This article discusses a review of the experiences of migrant nurses who came to the U.K. between 1995 and 2007, focusing on the implications of its findings for senior nurses and managers. It also makes recommendations for the future recruitment and retention of internationally recruited nurses