Health, Hope And Home? The Possibilities and Constraints of Voluntary Return for African Rejected Asylum Seekers and Irregular Migrants Living with HIV in the Netherlands

This report deals with the issue of voluntary return of HIV-positive Africans in the Netherlands, who have been rejected for asylum or are staying in the country as irregular migrants. Dutch immigration policy stipulates that any migrant without a legal status is under the obligation to leave the Netherlands, with voluntary return being the preferred way of meeting this obligation. In this report, we will examine under which conditions these HIVpositive migrants may be able to return voluntarily in a manner that allows for a sustainable situation in the country of origin. We will explore the possibilities of providing assistance to help create conditions for voluntary return, but also critically discuss constraints that are likely to be encountered in this return.