1. Fostering the Social and
Professional Reintegration of
Return Labour Migrants
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

2. Note: There exist different definitions as applied to “return migrants” and “return”.
Please read the various definitions mentioned below and analyse their scope and
implications for policy-making. Please note when such definitions were provided.
Which concerns and criteria drove the definitions?
Return Migrant:
• Frank Bovenkerk (1974): Persons returning to their country of origin, on a
temporary or permanent basis.
• Definition recommended by the United Nations (1998): “Persons [who] return to
their country of citizenship after having been international migrants (whether
short-term or long-term) and who are intending to stay in their own country for at
least one year.”
Return:
• IOM (2004): “Refers broadly to the act or process of going back. This could be within the
territorial boundaries of a country, as in the case of returning Internally Displaced
Persons and demobilized combatants; or from a host country (either transit or
destination) to the country of origin, as in the case of refugees, asylum seekers, and
qualified nationals. There are subcategories of return which can describe the way return
is implemented, e.g. voluntary, forced, assisted and spontaneous return; as well as
subcategories which describe who is participating in the return, e.g. repatriation (for
refugees).”
• EU (2002): “Comprises the process of going back to one’s country of origin, transit or
another third country, including preparation and implementation. Return may be
voluntary or enforced.”
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

3. Note: There exist as many migration cycles as return motivations. On the
basis of your own experience, please list below the categories of returnees
you identify, as well as the reasons for which such categories of returnees
differ from one another.
1. Categories of
returnees:
2. Categories of
returnees differ in terms
of:
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

4. Categories and Profiles
Numerous categories:
• Labour migrants, whether skilled or non skilled;
• Seasonal labour migrants;
• Students;
• Refugees;
• Rejected asylum-seekers;
• Trafficking victims;
• Irregular migrants
Profiles differ in terms of:
• The motivations to return;
• Duration of the migratory experience
• Type of experience in the destination country
• Place of reintegration (urban/rural context)
• Mobilized resources (human and financial capital)
• Return preparedness…
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

5. Measuring Return and Counting
Returnees
• Definitions and categories shape the ways in which
returnees are counted.
• Definition recommended by the UN (1998): “Persons
returning to their country of citizenship after having
been international migrants (whether short-term or long-
term) in another country and who are intending to stay in
their own country for at least a year.”
• Population registries (census data):
 Host country: number of legal residents who left the territory:
they (should) un-register (not fully reliable);
 Home country: number of native-born persons returning their
home country and who declare having changed residence.
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

6. A central issue in the reintegration process:
Return Preparedness
The returnee’s preparedness
Willingness to Readiness to
return return
Circumstances
in host and
home
countries
Resource Mobilisation
Tangible Intangible Social
resources resources capital
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

7. Different levels of return
preparedness
Optimal level: Migrants have been able to organize their
return while mobilizing the needed resources (tangible and
intangible);
Low level: Migrants did not mobilize enough resources to
prepare for their return, for instance, because the
experience of migration abroad was too short or because
they could not mobilize the needed resources to reintegrate
back home;
No preparedness: Abrupt interruption of the migration
cycle: neither willingness to return, nor time to get prepared
for return (e.g., removal, readmission, also so-called
“assisted voluntary returns - AVRs”).
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

8. Question 1: In your opinion, a genuine
„return policy‟ involves predominantly:
1. The country of destination
2. The country of origin
3. Both countries of destination and of origin
4. None
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

9. Question 2: In your opinion, a genuine
„return policy‟ should predominantly:
1. Make sure that migrants (are) effectively returned
2. Address return migrants’ aspirations and rights
3. Inform migrants about their conditions back home
4. Prompt migrants to return back home
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

10. Question 3: Is return…
1. A stage in the migration cycle?
2. The end of the migration cycle?
3. A synonym of readmission?
4. Either “voluntary” or “forced”?
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection

11. Question 4: We know that “return preparedness” is a key factor
allowing returnees‟ patterns of reintegration to be better understood.
Irrespective of the duration of the experience of migration and
regardless of the conditions back home, which categories of migrants
would be more likely to reintegrate back home?
1. Rejected asylum seekers
2. Labour migrants
3. Irregular aliens
4. Seasonal migrant workers
Migration in ACP Countries :
Promoting Development and Enhancing Protection