Governments in reception countries embrace (voluntary) assisted returns for several reasons. Such returns are seen as more humane, less costly and they spark less controversy than forced returns. For the rejected migrants themselves, voluntary assisted return is often seen as one of several unappealing alternatives. This study is based on two sources of data: interviews with employees at reception centers and key informants (NGOs, civil servants), and register data encompassing 105,000 third-country nationals. This material opens for a combined quantitative and qualitative analysis.