Iraq — Migration Flows from Iraq to Europe (July 2016)

This qualitative study presents the findings of the second stage of a research study conducted by IOM Iraq’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) and aims to explore the experiences of Iraqi migrants in order to shed light on their motivations, decisionmaking process, journey and intentions for the future. It is not possible to indicate a single reason for emigrating: there are several, highly intertwined reasons. Based on the surveys conducted, the main reasons for migration are: security (general and personal), lack of equality and social justice, and political and economic instability. The choice of migrating to Europe was made for the following reasons: no other viable options were available in the region, Europe was perceived as open, implying lower risks and lower costs, and European countries were perceived as implementing welcoming
immigration policies. Migrants also reported that life in Europe had been somehow idealized and that the reality was harder than expected. The main reported sources of disappointment and frustration were the length and unpredictability of the asylum-seeking requests, followed by the living conditions.