International migration and rural areas : cross national comparative perspectives Introduction : key issues in contemporary rural immigration Myriam Simard and Birgit Jentsch Taken by surprise : new immigrants in the rural United States Leif Jensen and Tse Chuan Yang Retention and departure factors influencing highly skilled immigrants in rural areas : medical professionals in Quebec Canada Myriam Simard From enthusiasm to perplexity and scepticism : international migrants in the rural regions of Greece and southern Europe Charalambos Kasimis Migration to rural Ireland : a North Cork case study Liam Coakley and Piaras Mac Éinrí The new Scottish rural labour market : processes of inclusion and exclusion Mike Danson and Birgit Jentsch Immigrants and receiving communities in rural Russia : experiences from the Central European and the Far East regions Irina Ivakhnyuk Conclusion : general trends and comparative perspectives on rural immigrants integration Birgit Jentsch and Myriam Simard