Although European policies identify return (especially voluntary ones) as the preferred policy response to irregularity, return is not always the first choice of irregular immigrants. According to official statistics, less than 30 percent of all non-European nationals with an expulsion order return voluntarily or are deported. This Policy Brief formulates policy suggestions for EU+ countries hosting large numbers of irregular migrants, focusing on a particular sphere where no return occurs, and irregularity persists.
Written by Gül Ince-Beqo and Maurizio Ambrosini, University of Milan
Download the full Policy Brief here.