After Assisted Return from Germany: A Study on Long-term Reintegration

In a large research study, the Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and IOM joined forces to assess the return and reintegration experiences of almost 1,000 returnees who received assistance from the StarthilfePlus programme. The research looks at reintegration processes at the individual level across three dimensions of reintegration: structural, economic and psychosocial. Within this framework, the research examines how the reintegration process of returnees is shaped over time, what challenges remain in their longer-term reintegration, and addresses the remigration intentions of returnees. It furthermore examines the impact of reintegration assistance of the StarthilfePlus programme, approximately three years after return. 

To gain these comprehensive insights into the returnees’ longer-term reintegration experiences, two successive surveys were conducted with returnees in nine countries. The first survey took place approximately eight months, and the second survey around three years after their return. Additionally, 20 women who have been living in the country of return for an average of three years described their reintegration experiences in qualitative interviews.