Movements

Transporting persons in need of assistance is key to IOM’s overall mission of meeting global migration challenges. Since its creation in 1951, IOM has assisted 11 million migrants.

Besides traditional refugee resettlement assistance, IOM offers transportation services supporting a variety of IOM migration programmes and activities - scholarship holder programmes, transfer of qualified nationals, technical cooperation, return of skilled migrants to reduce the brain drain, programmes for war victims in need of medical evacuation, and voluntary returns of irregular migrants to their country of origin.

Specific advantages of IOM services are:

In addition, IOM field missions around the world may provide migration documentation assistance and cultural orientation prior to departure.

Programme Activities

Activities that IOM carries out as part of this service area are, amongst others:

RESETTLEMENT MOVEMENTS
Organizing the transport of refugees and migrants for purposes of resettlement is one of IOM’s most significant activities.

At the request of Governments, and working in close cooperation with organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) IOM facilitates the processing and proper documenting of refugees and migrants selected by various countries for resettlement.

TRANSIT ASSISTANCE
Based on IOM’s intergovernmental status and demonstrated record of safe and reliable transit services, Governments have granted visa waiver facilities to IOM for nationals of a number of countries.

The visa waiver facility allows migrants travelling under the auspices of IOM to transit at airports in countries for which they would otherwise need a visa. This contributes to the efficient movement of persons subject to otherwise tight visa requirements.

DOCUMENTATION ASSISTANCE
IOM’s operational expertise protects migrants from potential abuse and the sometimes cumbersome and costly administrative procedures necessary to comply with immigration documentation requirements.

IOM’s documentation assistance also increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the respective consular offices by minimizing the time spent in processing immigration documents. These multi-faceted services help foster orderly migration flows.

Please click here for more information on IOM's Movements Programmes in Southern Africa.