Abstract

Since the origins of migration research, it has been known that larger immigration movements are always accompanied by higher return migration movements, which is partly due to the fact that significant parts of migration are temporary. Return and onward migration raises numerous new research questions that are of high political, social and socio-economic relevance. However, existing data on return migration is sparse and contradictory, which makes precise analysis difficult. In the project, a multi-cohort panel survey will be set up to address questions on return migration and circular migration. In the first panel wave, people with foreign citizenship who are currently residing in Germany will be surveyed. The data basis for the survey is the IEB. In subsequent years, the participants will be re-contacted in order to identify potential return and onward migrants. In order to be able to contact people who are abroad in subsequent years, the survey is conducted exclusively in web mode. The surveys of the first wave of the first cohort began at the end of 2024.