Return Aspirations and Trajectories of Migrants: WP7 Country Dossier Morocco
Executive Summary:
This country dossier on Morocco provides a comprehensive analysis of migration dynamics, highlighting the diverse experiences, motivations, and challenges migrants face. Based on 32 in-depth interviews with migrants of different administrative statuses and national backgrounds, as well as national data, the dossier explores Morocco’s role as both a transit and destination country within the broader migration landscape.
Migrants arrive in Morocco for various reasons, including economic hardship, conflict, political instability, and lack of access to basic services in their home countries. Many see Morocco as a stepping stone toward Europe, yet significant barriers often leave them stranded, forcing them to reconsider long-term settlement. Economic hardship remains a primary driver of migration, with many migrants seeking employment to support their families back home. Some flee personal threats, conflict, or military conscription, while others rely on incomplete or misleading information about migration routes, exposing them to exploitation
and violence.
Employment remains a major challenge for migrants, who are often pushed into low-paying, informal sector jobs without contracts or social protection. Many report exploitative working conditions, with wages too low to secure housing or send remittances. The lack of stable employment creates a cycle of economic vulnerability, particularly for those with families to support. Women, while generally facing fewer encounters with law enforcement, often endure heightened risks of exploitation in domestic work and caregiving roles.
Legal and administrative barriers further complicate migrants’ ability to secure stability in Morocco. The residence permit renewal process is complex and restrictive, requiring valid work contracts, housing agreements, and social insurance documentation, conditions that most migrants cannot meet. Some migrants, including asylum seekers and those who benefited from Morocco’s regularization program, have legal status, yet still struggle with bureaucratic hurdles. Others remain in limbo, waiting for international resettlement
opportunities.
Migrants without legal status live in constant insecurity, facing frequent arrests, harassment, and arbitrary relocations by Moroccan authorities. Many report being forcibly moved from northern cities like Tangier and Casablanca to less accessible regions like Agadir, disrupting their economic activities and forcing them into greater precarity. These relocations create a cycle of instability, making it nearly impossible for migrants to establish livelihoods or longterm plans. The psychological toll of this precarious existence is significant, particularly for those who see returning home as an admission of failure.
Despite these challenges, some migrants express satisfaction with their presence in Morocco and hope to secure regularized status and employment. Others remain determined to reach Europe or another destination, though border restrictions and financial constraints limit their mobility. Some eventually consider returning home, particularly if supported by reintegration programs. The report emphasizes the need for policies that facilitate regularization, enhance social protection, and provide sustainable solutions for migrants who wish to stay, move on, or return. Strengthening access to employment, reducing administrative barriers, improving policing practices, and ensuring psychological support for returnees are essential steps toward a more inclusive and humane migration system in Morocco.
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