A survey of return migrants conducted by the Kurzeme Planning Region in July 2026 shows that most respondents view their lives positively after returning to Latvia. A total of 88.3% of respondents say they feel happy or fairly happy, while 79.2% describe settling in after their return as easy or fairly easy. Settling into social and community life has also been assessed positively overall – most respondents indicate that they have already settled in well or are continuing to do so gradually.
“In my day-to-day work, I can clearly see that most people who return are satisfied with their decision, even if the first few months have not been easy. Almost always, the decision is based on something very personal – the desire to be closer to family or simply to live in their own country,” says Agnese Berģe, Return Migration Coordinator for the Kurzeme Planning Region.
Reasons for returning
The most frequently mentioned reasons for returning are emotional and family-related: 67.5% of respondents cited a desire to live in Latvia, and the same proportion mentioned a sense of belonging to their home area. A total of 63.6% said they wanted to be closer to family and relatives, while 58.4% indicated a desire for their children to study in Latvian educational institutions. Among practical considerations, employment opportunities were mentioned most often, by 41.6% of respondents.
A large proportion of respondents also managed to enter the labour market relatively quickly – 68.9% had started working or become self-employed within six months of returning.
Coordinator support rated highly
A total of 71.4% of respondents had used the support of a Return Migration Coordinator. Among those who assessed the support they received, 89.1% were very satisfied or fairly satisfied, while no respondent gave a negative assessment.
Respondents mainly used the coordinator’s support for assistance with documents and administrative procedures, obtaining information about municipal services, employment and housing opportunities, as well as kindergartens and schools. In addition, 60% of those who had used the coordinator’s assistance said that they had also received practical or emotional support during the return process.
“People most often come to me with specific questions – how to declare their place of residence, where to look for work, or how to enrol a child in a school or kindergarten. But the conversation often does not stop at formalities – people also simply want to talk about what it is like to return after years spent abroad, and to receive encouragement and support as they take this important step,” says Berģe.
Areas where support can still be improved
The survey also identifies areas where support still needs to be improved. Support provided by state and municipal authorities was rated positively by 58.4% of respondents, while more than a quarter indicated that they had needed more support or that the support they received had not been sufficient. Meanwhile, 18.2% of respondents had previously been unaware that support from a Return Migration Coordinator was available.
“The survey once again shows how important it is to talk about the support available while the idea of returning to Latvia is still only beginning to take shape. That is why, whenever possible, I travel to meet fellow Latvians where they live – for example, I have visited the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Germany and Sweden. Face-to-face conversations provide an opportunity not only to explain what support is available, but also to hear what is holding people back from returning, what they are uncertain about, and what they would need in order to make the decision to return home. That is why these meetings with the diaspora should definitely continue,” says Berģe.
If you are considering returning to Kurzeme, you can contact Agnese Berģe, Return Migration Coordinator for the Kurzeme Planning Region, by phone at +371 20478252 or by email at koordinators@kurzemesregions.lv.
About the survey
The Kurzeme Planning Region conducted the survey from 2 to 13 July 2026. A total of 77 return migrants who had returned to live in Kurzeme took part. People included in the Kurzeme Planning Region’s return migrant contact database were invited to participate in the survey.
The survey results reflect the experiences of the return migrants who responded and should not be considered statistically representative of the entire population of return migrants living in Kurzeme. The full summary of the return migrant survey data is available in Latvian on the Kurzeme Planning Region website