Deported Iraqi Kurdish migrants face hardship, no jobs in Kurdistan

RANYA, Iraqi Kurdistan,— Deported Iraqi Kurds face struggles and uncertainty as they return home after years in Europe, only to find themselves back where they started — jobless, burdened with debt, and frustrated by limited opportunities.

For Mohammed Jalal, returning to Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region after a decade-long attempt to secure asylum in Germany was not a homecoming — it was a setback.

At 39, Jalal now lives with his elderly father in a cramped, two-room apartment in the town of Ranya. They sleep on thin mattresses spread over a cold concrete floor. Work has been scarce, and Jalal survives on roughly $150 a month sent by relatives living abroad.

“If I could go back to Europe, I would,” he said in an interview with AFP. “I dream of the day German authorities let me work legally — maybe in a Kurdish restaurant.”

Jalal is among the thousands of Iraqis who, after being denied asylum, have been forcibly returned from Europe as governments tighten migration rules under pressure from rising right-wing political movements.

Between late 2023 and the end of 2024, about 125,000 non-Europeans were ordered to leave European Union countries — a 16 percent increase from the previous year, according to EU data.

Germany, which has received large numbers of asylum seekers over the past decade, is clear in its position. “As a matter of principle, Germany repatriates individuals who are required to leave the country,” the German Embassy in Baghdad said in a statement.

While Germany has sheltered millions fleeing war, including many Iraqis, it adds, “there are no prospects of residence for people who enter irregularly without a need for protection.”

Deported Iraqi Kurdish migrant Mohammed Jalal, Ranya, Iraqi Kurdistan, May 2025. Photo: AFP

Jalal’s own journey began in 2015, when he left Turkey’s coastal city of Izmir and crossed the Mediterranean to Greece.

From there, he moved through North Macedonia, Serbia, and Croatia before finally reaching Germany. At a reception center, he lived on an allowance of about €300 (roughly $385) a month.

Although the law barred him from working, Jalal quietly picked up jobs in cities like Munich and Nuremberg, all the while dodging authorities.

But despite his efforts, his asylum applications were denied twice, and he was deported back to Iraq in January 2024.

Since his return, Jalal has struggled to get back on his feet. His brief attempt at opening a bakery ended in failure. He worked two months at a falafel stall for just $7 a day, and soon found himself unemployed again.

Many Kurds who return tell similar stories. Hardi Ahmed, also from Ranya, left for the United Kingdom in 2021.

His journey, he says, was marked by tragedy. He lost three friends, including one who drowned while crossing the Channel between France and Britain.

Ahmed was eventually sent back to France and then home to Iraq, where he now waits — unemployed, frustrated, and critical of local authorities. “If the government doesn’t provide jobs, young people will keep trying to leave for Europe,” he told AFP.

Despite presenting itself as a haven of relative calm in an otherwise turbulent Iraq, the Kurdistan region is frequently criticized for cracking down on dissent and restricting freedom of expression.

For decades, the region has been dominated by two powerful political families: the Barzanis, who lead the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Talabanis, who head the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Observers and critics say that under Barzani control, the region suffers from deep-seated nepotism and corruption.

The ruling families, they argue, have used the oil wealth of Iraqi Kurdistan to enrich themselves rather than improve living conditions for ordinary citizens. These entrenched economic and political issues have helped fuel the exodus of young Kurds seeking a better life elsewhere.

To manage the wave of returnees, European countries are increasingly partnering with Iraq on reintegration programs.

The German development agency GIZ, for example, operates centers in Erbil and Baghdad offering job training, business grants, and counseling services.

Between June 2023 and August 2024, these centers assisted about 350 returnees, with funding from Germany, Switzerland, and the European Union.

Thomas Seiler, the EU’s ambassador to Iraq, said the bloc is working on a formal readmission agreement with Baghdad. “The capacity of many European towns and cities to receive and integrate migrants has long been reached,” Seiler said in an interview. “Preventing irregular migration is now a clear priority.”

The EU is also channeling tens of millions of euros into programs aimed at persuading Iraqis to remain in their home country rather than embark on risky journeys abroad.

In Kurdistan, local groups have joined the effort. The Rwanga Foundation, a Kurdish non-governmental organization, owned by the Barzanis, has launched projects to help returnees rebuild.

Funded by Denmark and Finland, the foundation has trained 120 people and provided business grants of up to $5,600 to 15 individuals, supporting ventures in construction, carpentry, electronics repair, restaurants, and beauty services.

“Many return home saddled with debt from their migration,” said Kamiran Shivan, who oversees Rwanga’s programs. “They come back without income or assets to pay it off.”

One of those helped by Rwanga is Mohammed Ismail, 29, who left Iraq for Germany in 2016 hoping for a European passport and a new start. But after three rejected asylum applications — Germany deemed Erbil a safe area — Ismail was returned home.

Today, he co-owns a small mechanic’s shop in Kurdistan, earning around $550 a month, enough to support his wife and young child. “I no longer think about emigrating,” Ismail said. “If I ever go back to Europe, it will be as a tourist.”

For Jalal and many like him, though, the future remains filled with uncertainty. As migration options narrow and local opportunities fail to materialize, the dreams that once carried them across continents now sit unfulfilled — waiting, perhaps, for another chance.

(With files from AFP)