Return migration is one of the most contested issues in European politics — yet policymaking has long been shaped by only one side of the story. The GAPs project (2023–2026) sought to decentre this one-sided approach by bringing in the perspectives of origin and transit countries, local practitioners, civil society organisations, and migrants themselves — examining how return is really governed, and what fairer, more effective alternatives might look like.

 
 

14+
Country contexts and comparative work
90+
Reports and articles
20+
Digital stories and informative videos

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Main deliverables

POLICY & SYNTHESIS
Key findings & policy briefs
The GAPs project offers evidence-based policy briefs and recommendations from 16 countries, highlighting gaps between return policy and practice while proposing more effective, rights-based migration and reintegration approaches.
EVIDENCE & TOOLS
Survey results and promising practices
The GAPs project provides empirical data on return and reintegration, combining cross-country surveys, returnees’ experiences, and promising practices to support evidence-based policymaking, research, and practical migration governance approaches.
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Highlights

Digital storytelling
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Digital stories & informative videos
Digital storytelling and informative videos bring personal migration experiences to life, adding a human perspective to research and policy discussions.
Academic outputs
ACADEMIC OUTPUTS
Journal articles & book chapters
GAPs researchers published extensively, including two edited volumes (Soon in IMISCOE Research and Palgrave Pivot Series), and two Special Issues (soon in International Migration and Migration Studies).
GAPs Blog
GAPs BLOG
Insights, debates & evidence
Explore insights, debates, and evidence at the intersection of migration policy and lived experience through the GAPs Blog.
Posters
POSTERS
Visual research outputs
A selection of visual materials presenting key insights and findings from the GAPs project in a concise and research-focused way. 
GAPs Online Course
GAPs ONLINE COURSE
How states coerce migrants to return
The GAPs MOOC is a free, three-week FutureLearn course that makes the project's core research accessible to a wide audience.
Data repository
DATA REPOSITORY
Data on national return regimes
GAPs Data Repository offers an overview of available qualitative and quantitative data on national return regimes.

 

Network & media

RELATED PROJECTS
GAPs collaborates with six Horizon Europe projects addressing return migration and irregular migrants’ conditions.
GAPs RESEARCHERS IN MEDIA
GAPs researchers featured in national and international media, offering expert analysis on return migration and return policies.

 
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