Every migrant who returns from Slovakia to a country of origin through Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme (AVRR) and needs to be provided basic living needs, housing or a source of living income for himself and his family, can request IOM Slovakia for reintegration assistance.

IOM Slovakia provides reintegration assistance in cooperation with IOM colleagues in the country of origin, who know local conditions and speak the language the migrant understands. Migrants, depending on their individual needs and current situation after return, decide themselves what kind of help they want to use.

Migrants use reintegration assistance mostly for:

Setting up of small business activities

The aim is to provide a long-term source of income. Migrants set up their own businesses or enter into partnerships with already established businesses. Returnees have successfully started business activities such as farms, workshops, shops, transportation, taxi services, car wash shops and much more.

Read the story of Ricky from the Philippines who also decided to start his own business in the field of transportation of people.

Education or retraining

The aim of this aid is to increase the qualifications of the returnee and thus to improve chances for employment. Support for education includes university studies, secondary education, vocational courses, trainings, etc.

Here is the story of Sofia from Ukraine, who took the hairdressing course and subsequently started working in  the hair salon.

Material Assistance

The goal is to improve the living conditions immediately after returning home. Material aid can be used by returnees for example for the purchase of household equipment or for the housing reconstruction project.

The story of Sheremet from Kosovo tells you more about this help.

Help with accommodation

The aim is to secure temporary housing for returnees after their return home. It can cover rental costs or accommodation costs in accommodation facilities.

Returnees can also use other types of assistance they may need after return, for example medical assistance, legal counselling or help with job search.

The returnee can choose from several types of assistance at a time.

Watch a short video about IOM reintegration assistance:

Watch a short video about IOM assistance provided to migrants when returning from Slovakia:

Watch a short video about IOM services that migrants can use during their voluntary return home from Slovakia:

From 2007 to 30 June 2017, IOM Slovakia assisted 212 migrants upon their return home. Assistance was provided to returnees in nearly 30 countries around the world, most often in Vietnam, Moldova and Georgia. Each year, the number of countries with reintegration assistance to migrants is steadily increasing. Last year, for the first time ever IOM helped migrants returning to Cuba, the Philippines, and Peru.

Countries with Reintegration Assistance from IOM Slovakia:

For more information on assisted voluntary returns and reintegration assistance, visit the IOM website: www.avr.iom.sk.

IOM Slovakia provides reintegration assistance from January 2017 to December 2019 as part of the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Project (Individual Project). The project is co-funded by the European Union from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund. Funds for internal affairs.

The project is co-financed by the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic.