This paper draws upon empirical material from my dissertation on Post-Soviet migration to Argentina to discuss how the implosion of the Soviet Union and the Argentine crisis of 2001 impacted upon everyday life for physicians trained in the USSR living in contemporary Argentina. For many, the demise of the USSR was a moment of liberation and future possibilities, however, the implosion of the system altered professional subjectivities and trajectories. What decides whether a movement across a national border is deemed migration or seen as part of a global career?