Story

After many months far from their Asian home, nine Nepalese nationals have been helped by IOM to get back to their families. With tickets in hand, they morning they recently boarded a plane from Pristina airport to Istanbul, where another flight transferred them to Kathmandu, Nepal.

“I am happy to go back home, and IOM is helping us return safely. I will stay there and try to build my life. But if I plan to come to Europe again, it will be through regular channels, like a working visa,” said one of the group..

Their dream of getting to Germany did not materialize, and the idea to return home seemed to be the right decision. Having ended up at an immigration centre , they turned to IOM and signed up for the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme (AVRR). This means that upon their arrival in Kathmandu, they will be met there by IOM representatives, for receiving further counselling on reintegration support at home.

IOM’s AVRR coordinator in Kosovo, Habib Habibi, said it was a pleasure to see happy faces of migrants on their way home.. 

“The Memorandum of Understanding signed two years ago is a sign of a fruitful cooperation between IOM and migration authorities in Kosovo. This year, IOM assisted 11 migrants to voluntarily return to their countries of origin (nine to Nepal, one to Germany and one to Bangladesh) and will continue supporting migrants who reside in Kosovo,” said Habibi.

For more information, please contact Luljeta Kuraja at IOM Kosovo, email: lkuraja@iom.int

*References to Kosovo on this website shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244/1999

RELATED STORIES