Return migration

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) collects data on Ukrainian nationals and Third-Country Nationals (TCNs) that were crossing back to Ukraine from or through the Republic of Moldova, either for temporary stay or prospective return. The survey focuses on the return intentions, duration of displacement, destinations, assistance, and experiences of unequal treatment of the respondents. A total of 1,800 surveys were collected between January and March 2024.

Key findings:

• 87% of Ukrainian respondents planned to go for a short visit, 7% intended to stay in Ukraine (prospective returnees), while 6% were not sure about their intentions.
• The majority (69%) been residing in the Republic of Moldova, 9% in Romania, 5% in Germany. The remaining 17% stayed in other countries.
• 83% were going back to their Oblast of origin, while 17% were going back to a different Oblast.
• 43% had been displaced between January and June 2022.
• 67% crossed back to Ukraine twice or more since 2022. 10% crossed more than 10 times.
• 79% of prospective returnees and 91% of short-term visitors reported having received assistance since their displacement.
• Main priority needs that were cited by respondents include financial support (43%), medicine and health services (27%) and personal safety and security (22%). 

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) collected data on Ukrainian nationals and Third-Country Nationals (TCNs) who crossed back to Ukraine from Poland, either for a temporary stay or permanent return after a period of displacement abroad. The survey focuses on the return intentions, duration of displacement, destinations, assistance, and experiences of discrimination of 361 Ukrainian respondents surveyed between January and March 2024.

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) collected data on Ukrainian nationals and Third-Country Nationals (TCNs) that crossed back to Ukraine from or through Slovakia, either temporarily or permanently. The survey focuses on the return intentions, duration of displacement, destinations, assistance, and experiences of discrimination of respondents. A total of 1,335 surveys were collected between January and March 2024.

Key findings:

• 27% of Ukrainian respondents intend to stay in Ukraine (prospective returnees), while 68% plan to go for a short visit.
• The share of those intending to return to Ukraine is higher among men than women (49% vs 25%). Women are more likely to be crossing into Ukraine for a short visit than men (69% vs 44%).
• Most of the short-term visitors plan to stay in their own home in Ukraine (78% overall), while others report to be going to their relatives’ homes (10%), finding other private solutions (7%) or staying with friends (4%). The share of those planning to stay at home is higher among prospective returnees (98%) than among short-term visitors (78%).
• Reasons for returning for prospective returnees include: visit relatives or close friends (75%), meet with family members (6%), reunite with their family (6%).
• Reasons for returning for short-term visitors include: visit family members (76%), healthcare (26%), reunite with family (21%).
• 64% of the Ukrainian nationals originate from seven regions in Ukraine: Zakarpatska (21%), Kyiv (13%), Kharkivska (8%), Dnipropetrovska (8%), Odeska (6%), Zaporizka (3%), and Mykolaivska (3%). The remaining 36% of respondents come from another 20 regions across Ukraine.

Over the course of 2023, 96,670 arrivals were recorded in Yemen, a one-third increase from 2022 (+32%, 73,200). In fact, by June 2023 (77,130) already had surpassed all the arrivals in 2022. These account for 35% per cent of outgoing movements from the East and Horn of Africa. Three quarters of these arrivals transited through Djibouti, while the remaining quarter crossed the Gulf of Aden from Somalia

يراقب سجل مراقبة التدفق (FMR) الخاص بمصفوفة تتبع النزوح في اليمن (DTM) التابعة للمنظمة الدولية للهجرة، وصول المهاجرين على طول الحدود الساحلية الجنوبية لليمن وإعادة المواطنين اليمنيين إلى وطنهم على طول حدودها الشمالية مع المملكة العربية السعودية. يسجل القائمون بالتعداد في نقاط مراقبة التدفق وصول المهاجرين وعودة المواطنين اليمنيين لتحديد أنماط الهجرة المختلفة وتقديم تقديرات كمية لعدد المهاجرين غير النظاميين الذين يدخلون البلاد. من المهم أن نفهم أن نشرة الهجرة القسرية لا ترصد جميع تدفقات الهجرة في اليمن؛ وبدلا من ذلك، فإنه يوفر رؤى إرشادية حول اتجاهات الهجرة استنادا إلى عدد إجمالي غير معروف من المهاجرين الذين يصلون إلى نقاط مراقبة الهجرة خلال إطار زمني محدد. قد يكون جمع البيانات في بعض نقاط وصول المهاجرين محدودًا بسبب القيود المفروضة على الوصول.

في أغسطس 2023، بدأت حملة عسكرية مشتركة للحد من تدفق المهاجرين إلى اليمن، وخاصة أولئك الذين هم في طريقهم إلى المملكة العربية السعودية ودول الخليج الأخرى. استهدفت هذه العملية ساحل محافظة لحج، وهي نقطة دخول رئيسية لعدد كبير من المهاجرين (ما يصل إلى 15,714 مهاجرًا في مارس 2023). واحتجزت القوات العسكرية المهربين وطاردت قواربهم، مما أدى إلى انخفاض تدريجي في تدفق المهاجرين عبر هذا الساحل، والذي توقف تمامًا في نهاية المطاف خلال الأشهر الستة الماضية. كان هناك استثناء واحد في منتصف ديسمبر 2023 عندما أحضر قارب 110 مهاجرين إلى الشاطئ.

في أبريل 2024، أبلغت مصفوفة تتبع النزوح التابعة للمنظمة الدولية للهجرة في اليمن عن دخول 1,479 مهاجرًا إلى اليمن، وهو انخفاض بنسبة 23 بالمائة عن الرقم الإجمالي المُبلغ عنه في الشهر السابق (1,930 مهاجرًا). غادر جميع المهاجرين من منطقة باري في الصومال (1,479) ووصلوا إلى محافظة شبوة في اليمن، والتي عادة ما تكون بمثابة نقطة دخول رئيسية للمهاجرين الذين يغادرون الصومال. علاوة على ذلك، نادراً ما يختار المهاجرون المغادرون من جيبوتي شبوة بسبب المسافة الكبيرة بين الموقعين.

على الرغم من وصول جميع المهاجرين عبر منطقة شبوة الساحلية، إلا أن عدد المهاجرين الذين يدخلون عبر نفس المنطقة انخفض بنسبة 18 في المائة في أبريل (1,479) مقارنة بشهر مارس 2024 (1,800). ومن بين إجمالي المهاجرين المسجلين، كان 22 في المائة أطفال، و15 في المائة نساء، و63 في المائة رجال. ووفقاً للبيانات التي تم جمعها لشهر أبريل 2024، ذكر 74% من المهاجرين أن النزاع كان السبب الرئيسي وراء مغادرتهم بلدهم الأصلي.

حدد فريق مصفوفة تتبع النزوح 5,046 عائداً يمنياً في أبريل 2024، أي بزيادة قدرها 19 بالمائة مقارنة بعدد العائدين في مارس (4,226 فرداً). بالإضافة إلى ذلك، سجل الفريق أيضًا إجمالي 191 مهاجرًا تم ترحيلهم من عمان إلى نقطة ديفين في مديرية شحن بمحافظة المهرة باليمن. وكان جميع المهاجرين المرحلين من عمان مواطنين إثيوبيين.

أجبرت الأزمة الإنسانية المتفاقمة في اليمن العديد من المهاجرين على اتخاذ قرار صعب بالعودة إلى بلدانهم الأصلية في القرن الأفريقي، حيث أفادت التقارير أن السلطات قامت بترحيل بعضهم. في أبريل 2024، سجلت مصفوفة تتبع النزوح ما مجموعه 819 مهاجرًا غادروا اليمن إما طوعًا أو تم ترحيلهم بالقوارب من اليمن. وتتكون هذه المجموعة من 91 في المائة من الرجال، و8 في المائة من النساء، وأقل من 1 في المائة من الأطفال.

علاوة على ذلك، في أبريل 2024، أفاد فريق مصفوفة تتبع النزوح في جيبوتي أن ما مجموعه 631 مهاجرًا (93٪ رجال، 4٪ نساء، و3٪ أطفال) وصلوا إلى جيبوتي قادمين من اليمن بعد القيام برحلة محفوفة بالمخاطر للعودة إلى الوطن. وتؤكد هذه الأرقام التحديات الكبيرة التي يواجهها المهاجرون في اليمن والظروف اليائسة التي دفعتهم إلى المخاطرة برحلات بحرية خطيرة.

The Flow Monitoring Registry (FMR) of the IOM Yemen Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) monitors the arrival of migrants along Yemen’s southern coastal border and the repatriation of Yemeni nationals along its northern border with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Enumerators at Flow Monitoring Points (FMPs) record the arrival of migrants and the return of Yemeni nationals to identify various migration patterns and provide quantitative estimates of the irregular migrant population entering the country. It’s crucial to understand that the FMR does not capture all migration flows in Yemen; instead, it provides indicative insights into migration trends based on an unknown total number of migrants arriving at FMPs during a specific time frame. Certain migrant arrival points may have limited data collection due to access constraints.

In August 2023, a joint military campaign was initiated to curb the influx of migrants into Yemen, primarily those en route to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. This operation targeted the coast of Lahj governorate, a major entry point for a large number of migrants (up to 15,714 migrants in March 2023). Military forces detained smugglers and chased their boats, leading to a gradual decrease in migrant flow through this coast, which eventually stopped completely over the last six months. There was a single exception in mid-December 2023 when a boat brought 110 migrants ashore.

In April 2024, the IOM Yemen DTM reported 1,479 migrants entering Yemen, a 23 percent decrease from the total figure reported in the previous month (1,930 migrants). All migrants left from Bari region in Somalia (1,479) and arrived in Shabwah governorate in Yemen, which typically serves as a key entry point for migrants leaving Somalia. Moreover, migrants leaving from Djibouti rarely choose Shabwah due to the significant distance between the two locations.

Although all migrants arrived through Shabwah coastal area, the number of migrants entering through same area decreased by 18 per cent in April (1,479) compared to March 2024 (1,800). Among the total migrants recorded, 22 per cent were children, 15 per cent were women, and 63 per cent were men. According to data collected for April 2024, 74 per cent of migrants stated that conflict was the primary reason for them leaving their country of origin.

The DTM team identified 5,046 Yemeni returnees in April 2024, a 19 percent increase compared to the number of returnees in March (4,226 individuals). Additionally, the team also recorded total of 191 migrants that were deported from Oman back to Deifen Point in Shahan district of Al Maharah governorate, Yemen. All deported migrants from Oman were Ethiopian nationals.

The worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen has compelled many migrants to make difficult decision to return to their home countries in the Horn of Africa, some have reportedly been deported by authorities. In April 2024, the DTM recorded a total of 819 migrants leaving Yemen either voluntarily or were deported by boat from Yemen. This group was composed of 91 per cent men, eight per cent women, and less than one per cent children.

Furthermore, in April 2024, the Djibouti DTM team reported a total of 631 migrants (93% men, 4% women, and 3% children) arrived in Djibouti from Yemen after undertaking a perilous journey back home. These figures underscore the significant challenges migrants in Yemen face and the desperate circumstances that have led them to risk dangerous sea voyages.

Forced returns of Haitians to Haiti is one of the main human mobility trends in the country. In search of a better life, many Haitians attempt to leave the country through regular or irregular pathways. In addition to risking their lives, those who engage in irregular pathways are often forcibly returned to Haiti by their destination or transit countries.

In 2023, more than 216,000 people were returned to Haiti by different countries. Many are returned after living several months or years outside Haiti and face challenges reintegrating into their communities. Furthermore, security and socioeconomic conditions in Haiti exacerbate these reintegration challenges. Hence, even after being forcibly returned in the country, many people engage again, sometimes multiple times, in irregular migration, in search of a better life out of Haiti.

This report provides insights on the profiles of Haitians who were forcibly returned in 2023. It presents their socio demographic and economic profiles, their migration experiences and their migration intentions. Information was collected through individual surveys conducted with a sample of returnees. Surveys were conducted upon their arrival in the country (please refer to the last section of the report for more information on methodology).

The goal of this research is to inform the development or adjustment of migration governance policies as well as transition and development strategies to ensure that migration is a choice, rather than the consequence of a constraint, and that once engaged, it is safe and carried out with human dignity, and contributes to the socioeconomic development and well-being of migrants and their community of origin and of destination.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked an unprecedented shock to human mobility, shuttering borders and restricting movements in ways not seen in our lifetime. This report reflects the first attempt to assess how human movements has changed in the wake of this seismic event, by analysing Flow Monitoring data from the International Organization for Migration that surveys migrants at formal and informal border crossings. This report sketches how movements have fully recovered from pandemic-era restrictions and how they are being shaped by climate and displacement shocks through seven cases studies that cover a wide range of migrant destinations. This report is the third in a three-part series on the impact of COVID-19 on human mobility. 

This report employs data collected within the framework of the Crossing Back surveys conducted in Romania between January and December 2023 with Ukrainian nationals who were either crossing back for a short-time visit or returning for a long-term period to Ukraine from or through Romania. The analysis considers ‘’short-term visitors’’ those persons who intended to spend 0-30 days in Ukraine, while respondents planning to stay for more than a month are defined as “prospective returnees”.

The survey included answers from 5,773 Ukrainian nationals living in or passing through Romania who were travelling to Ukraine. Among those interviewed before crossing back into Ukraine, the majority stayed in Romania (59%), followed by Bulgaria (17%) or Germany (5%). Additional countries of residence included Italy (4%), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (3%), Türkiye (2%), Belgium (2%), Greece (1%), Austria (1%), with the remaining 6% distributed among other nations.

The travel intentions of the surveyed Ukrainian nationals show that most respondents (53%) were “short-term visitors”, while 27 per-cent were prospective returnees. Another 20 per cent were not sure regarding their visit period. Also, most UA citizens were travelling back to their oblast of origin (93%), with most respondents originating from Odeska, Chernivetska, Mykolaivska, Ivan-Frankivska, City of Kiyv and Kharvivska.

Constatări cheie:

• Top 3 țări de ședere în străinătate: Republica Moldova (48%), România (11%), Turcia (7%)
• Top 3 regiuni* de origine: Odesa (35%), orașul și regiunea Kyiv (22%), Mîkolaiiv (7%) *Regiuni din Ucraina
• Destinațiile planificate: spre regiunea originară (92%), spre o regiune diferită (8%): orașul Kyiv, Vinița și Odesa
• Necesități*: sprijin financiar (22%), medicamente și servicii medicale (9%), suport pentru siguranța și securitatea personală (8%), fără necesități imediate (35%)
• Intenții de ședere: ședere pe termen lung (58%), vizită de scurtă durată (38%), nu știe (4%)

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