Foreword

Return is a frequent part of migration, although return from destination countries is far less studied and monitored than migration flows to destination countries. Policy attention has increased around return migration, especially in assistance for voluntary returns and reintegration. To better explore return dynamics and provide evidence to guide policy, the OECD Secretariat, with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ), conducted a study in 2022-23. The study included three country workshops on the dynamics of return migration and re-migration. The workshops explored why migrants decide to return to origin countries, the specific role of families and communities in these decision-making processes, what motivates returning migrants to leave again, and how policy frameworks influence these patterns. The first two country workshops took place in Tunisia (February 2023) and Morocco (May 2023), including visits to structures providing services to returning migrants and potential migrants. A third workshop was held in Brussels (June 2023) and focused on the role of return in Ukraine’s post-war recovery and reconstruction, followed by an expert workshop. These workshops brought together more than 150 stakeholders: Ministries of Interior and development actors from OECD countries, government officials from the countries covered, representatives of the EU, implementing partners of AVRR programmes and scholars and researchers. The OECD also carried out statistical analyses of return migration and exits from OECD countries, submitted a policy questionnaire to OECD member countries in January 2023, and analysed return corridors to Morocco and Tunisia.

This report is based on the findings of these country workshops, the two corridor reports, the policy questionnaires, and the statistical analysis of return patterns from OECD countries.

This report has been drafted by Mona Ahmed under the co-ordination of Jonathan Chaloff. The statistical analysis of return patterns from OECD countries was conducted with support from Mahamat Moustapha. Background reports on return and re-migration in Tunisia and Morocco were drafted by Ali Belhaj and by Saâd Belghazi, Ali Bouazzaoui and Saïd Malki. Additional support during the country workshops were provided by Mustapha Kaaniche, Ali Bouazzaoui and Cedric Fontaine. The report benefited from comments from BMZ and GIZ as well as contributions from delegates to the OECD Working Party on Migration.