Assisted Voluntary Return & Reintegration

Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) is a core activity of IOM which enables tens of thousands of migrants return home every year.  To date, IOM Tanzania has helped migrants from around the world safely return to their home countries and has provided comprehensive reintegration support to returnees, empowering them to rebuild their lives and successfully reintegrate into their communities.

Stranded migrants willing to return to their country of origin can be assisted through IOM’s AVRR programme. AVRR endeavours to provide sustainable options for migrants whose residence in Tanzania is no longer viable or personally desirable. Essential to the provision of this service, is voluntariness; IOM will not participate in coercion to return and ensures full consent through one-to-one interviews with potential applicants.

IOM Tanzania has collaborated with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to facilitate the return of stranded migrants to their home countries and to assist the process of reintegration into their communities.

Beneficiaries

For migrants who need to return home but lack the means to do so, IOM’s AVRR programmes are often the only solution to their immediate plight. Beneficiaries of IOM’s assistance include:

• individuals whose application for asylum was rejected or withdrawn
• stranded migrants
• victims of trafficking, and
• other vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied migrant children, or those with health-related needs.

IOM’s Approach  

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is tasked with ensuring orderly migration through Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR). Key policy considerations include:

• Safeguarding migrants' dignity and rights,
• Preserving regular migration structures and asylum procedures,
• Enhancing dialogue between origin, transit, and host countries,
• Addressing irregular migration's root causes,
• Advocating for comprehensive approaches to voluntary return, including post-return reintegration assistance, and
• Working with national and international partners to promote international dialogue and capacity-building for AVRR initiatives.