How destination country policies can facilitate return among refugees from Ukraine

This project investigates what shapes return aspirations and return decisions among refugees from Ukraine, and ask how the return assistance provided by Norwegian authorities functions in practice. In the analysis we distinguish between return as aspiration, as  intentions or plans, and as an actual experience. The project aims to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms that lead some individuals to choose to return, and the factors that contribute to a successful reintegration in Ukraine following such a return.

The project addresses three main research questions:

• What characterizes the Ukrainians who actually return, and how do they differ from those who remain?
• How do those who have returned perceive the return assistance they received and their subsequent reintegration in Ukraine?
• How might factors related to family, employment, health, housing, information, and broader framework conditions become decisive for return decisions should the situation in Ukraine change?

The project employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative interviews with Ukrainians in both Norway and Ukraine, a survey targeting individuals who have applied for return assistance, analyses of survey and registry data, and five user panels involving various groups of Ukrainian refugees.

In addition, we will conduct a systematic review of existing knowledge on return—with a particular focus on experiences in Scandinavia.