The Reintegration and Emigration Programme for Asylum Seekers in Germany (REAG) is a program which financially supports returning migrants with their transport costs, fuel costs and other travel expenses. The Government Assisted Repatriation Program (GARP) provides initial aid to refugees who are starting their lives once again in their home countries. You can find out more about the programs on the website of the International Organization for Migration.

In February 2017, the German government unveiled the Starthilfe Plus program in addition to the GARP, which offers migrants 1200 Euros who decided to leave before a decision is made on their asylum applications

Here is some information in English on how these programs work and if you may be eligible: http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/EN/Downloads/Infothek/Rueckkehr/reaggarp-informationsblatt-englisch.html?nn=7544808

Das Info-Blatt zum Rückkehrprogramm #StarthilfePlus kann hier als #PDF heruntergeladen werden: https://t.co/QHqxRthTOs #lasttweet #Asyl https://t.co/vQnB8lExE7

— BMI (@BMI_Bund) February 10, 2017

The above tweet contains a PDF file in German to learn more about the Starthilfe Plus program.

And here  is a link to apply for the REAG and GARP programs: http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/EN/Downloads/Infothek/Rueckkehr/reaggarp-antrag-en.html?nn=2504548

The European Reintegration Instrument Network or ERIN is another initiative funded by the EU to help with the repatriation process. This link shows which destination countries are eligible for reintegration assistance, such as help with finding a job in their home country:  http://www.bamf.de/EN/Rueckkehr/Reintegration/ProjektERIN/projekt_erin-node.html

Counseling

For migrants in Germany seeking to return home, there are also professional counselors who can give advice on taking this decision. Put in your German address here to find the nearest center than can guide  you in your return: https://milo.bamf.de/milop/livelink.exe/fetch/2000/702450/698578/704870/Suche_nach_Rueckkehrberatungsstellen.html?nodeid=13610453&vernum=-2

Here are some answers in  PDF files to general questions you may have about voluntary return:  https://milo.bamf.de/milop/livelink.exe?func=ll&objId=18411174&objAction=browse&viewType=1

Refugees in Germany and other EU countries who are from Northern Iraq and wish to return home are supported through the Magnet 2 program: https://www.magnet-project.eu/home/

How many migrants have returned home voluntarily? 

According to Germany's Bureau of Migration and Refugees or (BAMF) in German, migrants and refugees have been returning home for years with numbers sometimes exceeding 100,000 people. One example of this was in 1997 after the Balkan conflict ended. Approximately 102, 359 refugees left Germany returned home that year with the help of the REAG program. In 2016, over 54,000 migrants voluntarily returned according to BAMF statistics.

Author: Wesley Dockery