Beyond Immobility: Rethinking Sustainable Return and Mobility Aspirations Among Afghan Returnees

ABSTRACT

This study examines the interplay between reintegration and mobility aspirations among recent Afghan returnees in early 2024, challenging the assumption that successful reintegration equates to immobility. Based on survey data from 416 returnees from Iran ( n  = 208), Pakistan ( n  = 98), Türkiye ( n  = 69), and Europe and employing structural equation modelling (SEM), it explores how initial migration aspirations, psychological well‐being, and social capital shape reintegration and mobility aspirations. Findings reveal that returnees with Western aspirations report lower well‐being, while forced returnees experience reduced community engagement but increased family support. Reported likelihood of illegal re‐migration, though low, is linked to increased community connections and lower socio‐cultural skills attained abroad, whereas legal re‐migration is driven by improved well‐being, financial stability, and community activity. Critiquing the sedentary bias in migration governance, the study calls for policies aligned with returnees' aspirations, emphasizing legal migration pathways and adaptive reintegration frameworks. These findings offer actionable insights for reimagining migration management in Afghanistan.