Global nurse migration is a growing phenomenon as the recruitment of overseas nurses continues to grow in response to global nursing shortages. The Philippines play a key role in this area, as the country is considered the major exporter of nurses to the world. However, despite the significance that Filipino nurses play in this phenomenon, little is known about their experiences working in the Philippines and prior to The migration of Filipino nurses in this study was greatly influenced by Filipino values of helping family and not merely about wanting to achieve better remuneration.This challenges the economic migrant label so often applied to Filipino nurses, and offers useful information for policy makers, workforce planning, and further investigation of nurse migration.