Over 160,000 migrants found to be irregularly present in the EU return annually to their countries of origin, whether from enforced or voluntary returns; many more return voluntarily when their circumstances change (e.g. end of studies, family reasons, employment). A total of 28,256 migrants were assisted by IOM to return from the European Economic Area (EEA) in 2019, which accounted for 43.6 per cent of the total caseload. Germany was the top host country in the EEA with the highest number of beneficiaries assisted or 13, 053 migrants (IOM, 2020). The competition for talent has become global. In this context, Europe is working on a number of initiatives to attract more highly skilled migrants. In the Western Hemisphere and Europe in particular, the salience of migration as a political and social concern has intensified.