Some migrants decide that their lives will be better if they return home than to live in a miserable condition in a foreign country. The decision is not easy as there are a lot of formalities that require tons of documentation and legal procedures in both host and destination countries.

British High Commission along with Caritas India has organized a Focus Group Discussion for the UK Returnees on March 15, 2019, at Jalandhar to improve the reintegration services. The UK returnees comprised of both ERRIN Programme supported by Caritas India and her local partners Navjeevan Charitable Society Jalandhar and British High Commission in collaboration with Development and Justice Initiative (DAJI) through their reintegration programme.

The main objectives were to improve the current reintegration services in term of making it returnee focused by understanding returnees’ experiences of leaving UK and by knowing returnees’ views and thoughts on the return process which will be fed into the evidence for the current strategy.

It was attended by four UK returnees (ERRIN Programme) supported by Caritas India and five supported by DAJI, Navjeevan Charitable Society Jalandhar team, DAJI’s program Team, BHC representative. Ms. Sabina, the consultant was hired for the discussion.

Ms. Sabina facilitated the discussion and shared the objectives of the focus group discussion to the returnees, their role, rules and about the keeping of privacy of the discussion with the returnees and of transcription. The consent form was signed by the returnees after confirming their participation.

Returnees shared their experiences, about the communications received to start their immigration journey; communication between UK home office; their human rights and what influenced them to return; on reintegration support. The meeting was very much effective to understand returnees’ views and suggestions to improve reintegration services in a better way.

Some of the suggestions given by the returnees is to establish a migration information center or help desk at Gurudwaras in destination country. Similar suggestions like information on migrants’ Human Rights and rights of their children born in UK, to increase the entitled in-kind support to returnees and requested to maintain the time constraint during the interrogation process at the home country immigration department at airport where returnees have to sit for long time and missed their onwards trains and flights.

Based on the views and suggestions given by the returnees, Caritas India will take forward the suggestions and dialogue with donor agency to improve reintegration services at her level including giving value-added and motivational/Hand-holding support in restoring their livelihoods.