Where is home? The Role of Transnationalism in Voluntary Return Migration : A Study on Syrian Migrants in Sweden

Sammanfattning

This thesis aims to illustrate how immigrants, specifically Syrian immigrants in Sweden, perceive return migration and to what extent economic incentives, such as repatriation grants, influence their perceptions. The study was conducted for four months in Sweden during fall 2025 using a qualitative case study based on semi-structured interviews involving Syrians who had arrived in Sweden between 2012 and 2017. The collected material, analyzed within the theoretical framework of push-pull theory and transnationalism, highlights immigrants’ role within the phenomenon of return migration, as well as their perceived challenges and opportunities. The results suggest that there are various reasons for wanting to both return to Syria and also stay in Sweden, but the underlying factor forming one's perspectives is the transnational ties one has with both Sweden and Syria, something that a repatriation grant cannot outweigh. Moreover, the results underscore the importance of developing policies that accurately reflect immigrants’ lived realities and of creating migration frameworks that will have a meaningful impact on both integration trajectories and return decisions.