Voluntary Return

Immigration & Borders
Written By Cassie

“Voluntary return” sounds like free choice. In practice, “voluntary” can mean anything from genuine consent to the least-bad option under pressure.

Definition

Voluntary return is when a person leaves a country and returns to their country of origin (or another destination) by consent, sometimes with logistical or financial assistance through a formal program.

Technical meaning vs common usage

Technical: assisted return through defined programs (often called AVRR), with documented consent and reintegration support options.
Common usage: “not deported.”

How the term gets stretched or misused

The term becomes misleading when:

  • pressure (detention, loss of work, imminent removal) is ignored

  • “voluntary” is treated as a moral stamp rather than a process condition

  • eligibility limits are omitted, making it sound universally available

Where the power sits

Gatekeeping happens through:

  • Program administrators: eligibility and level of support

  • Enforcement/courts: pressure context and timing

  • Documentation/logistics: who can travel, when

  • Reintegration capacity: what happens after return

This does not mean…

  • The decision was free of pressure.

  • Return is a stable outcome.

  • Return replaces legal review obligations.

Why precision matters

If every pressured exit is labeled “voluntary,” you can’t see where coercion lives. Precision asks: what alternatives existed, who controlled them, and what constraints shaped consent?

Neutrality note

This definition describes voluntary return as an administrative category within migration systems, not as an endorsement or critique of return incentives, consent conditions, or enforcement context.

Related HISW

Sources

Sources below explain how voluntary return is defined and administered within migration systems.

  • International Organization for Migration — Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (2018) https://www.iom.int/assisted-voluntary-return-and-reintegration

  • European Commission — EU Return Policy (2020) https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/migration-and-asylum/irregular-migration-and-return/return-policy_en

Cassie
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