The research material presented in this book was generated as part of the ‘Migrants and their Money’ research project based at Queen Mary, University of London between 2007 and 2009. A mixed methods methodological framework combining quantitative and qualitative methods was deployed in the research, which involved the use of a range of research tools including two questionnaire surveys, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The project focused primarily upon Brazilian, Bulgarian, Polish, Turkish and Somali migrants in London. The decision to focus on these five migrant communities in London was shaped predominantly by the fact that this would enable an investigation into various dynamics that are known to have an important bearing upon migrant experiences of financial in/exclusion including labour market position, immigration status, transnational financial practices, diverse gender- and class-based positions and ideologies, language competencies, as well as length of stay in the UK. The 2001 National Census reported total UK-based populations of 8,000 Brazilians, 5,350 Bulgarians, 44,000 Somali, 52,893 Turkish and 60,711 Polish migrants. More recent studies estimated that the size of these communities vary between 60,000 and 100,000 Somalis, approximately 200,000 Brazilians, between 515,000 and a million Polish, and 40,000 and 170,000 Bulgarians (Olden, 1999; Ahmed, 2000; Sporten et al, 2006; Duvall 2007; Evans et al, 2007; Council of Ministers 2008; Home Office 2010; Hopkins, 2010). Furthermore, while Brazilian, Somali and Turkish populations are particularly concentrated in London (ranging from between 65 and 80 per cent, between 55 and 68 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively), Polish and Bulgarian populations are more geographically dispersed, partly as a result of their routes into the UK (Olden, 1999; Ahmed, 2000; Sporten et al, 2006; Erdemir and Vasta, 2007; Evans et al, 2007). Just under a quarter of Polish migrants are found in the capital (Duvall, 2007; Council of Ministers, 2008; Home Office, 2010; ONS, 2011). As highlighted in the book, inter- and intra-community differences in immigration status (ranging from asylum seekers, refugees, irregular migrants, those who had entered the UK as tourists and students to A2 and A8 migrants), labour market participation (including those who were unemployed, working informally and in the formal sector), as well transnational financial practices and awareness were crucial in understanding migrant experiences of financial in/exclusion.