What does it actually look like when someone returns home after years abroad, often with little money, no formal recognition of skills acquired, and a community that may see their return as failure? This paper sets out to answer that question, drawing on fieldwork, a broad range of project documents, assessment, policy papers and the testimonies of returnees across Bangladesh, Iraq and Pakistan.

Citation

ICMPD (2026). “Reintegration realities: post-return challenges and
experiences across countries”, part of the Budapest Process knowledge products series
“Reintegration is Complicated”.