“I’m 73 years-old, but a very active woman for my age. I went to France to work. But the family that I was supposed to work for, taking care of their grandmother, got scared and told me – if they haven’t given you residency papers to live in this town, you don’t have the right to work. They’ll come and detain you and they’ll fine us,” recounts Julieta Grigoryan who returned to Armenia in 2008. In 2006, she left Greece for France in search of better work. “They told me it was better there, that wages were higher. But the government didn’t give me permission, probably due to my age. No, they didn’t give me any permission,” Mrs. Grigoryan continues. Before leaving for France, Mrs. Grigoryan lived in Greece for twelve years. “I went to Greece by myself. I didn’t speak the language or anything. I applied at an office for work. They helped me out. At the age of sixty-two I learnt the language and began working,” the 73 year-old relates. In France, Mrs. Julieta spent two years living at the CADA (French government sponsored halfway house for those applying for refugee status). When it became clear to Mrs. Grigoryan that the French weren’t about to grant her any type of official status, she returned to Armenia. “I went to the Red Cross and told them that there is no work in Yerevan, that my situation isn’t good. If only I could find some work, to help my kids. I have no house, we had sold it. We have debts. Once we went to the court. Another time we went for an interview. They refused to help so I left,” Mrs. Grigoryan recounts. When she was working in Greece, Mrs. Grigoryan was able to financially assist her family back in Armenia. She was taking care of an elderly woman and was making 400-500 Euros monthly. “I would wash, feed and clothe the old granny and clean the apartment. The woman later died. I was getting up in years as well so it didn’t make much sense for me to stay. I no longer want to leave. At my age it’s a bit of a disgrace. I’m human like everyone else. If something happens at least it will be here in Armenia, says a concerned Mrs. Grigoryan, adding that, “What’s left for me to see? I visited Italy and traveled around with a friend. I went to Belgium. I stayed in France; saw Paris and the Eiffel Tower. I didn’t get a chance to travel round Greece the way I would have liked. Back then, I saw myself as a younger woman who could take care of an old lady.” Mrs. Grigoryan says that there were sixteen Armenian families staying at CADA with her. There were also families from Algeria and three from Russia. Armenians made up the majority. I’d rather die in my own country “Once, the CADA director called a meeting and stated that anyone wishing to return to Armenia should fill out an application. What was there to lose? They didn’t give us any papers or work. I had been living there at their expense for two years. I told them I wanted to go back. At my age I wouldn’t survive living in some corner. If I were to die, rather it should be in my country,” she says. CADA grants one a place to stay for 18 months, but only if the courts is processing a migrant’s application for refugee status. Mrs. Grigoryan says that life at CADA was quite comfortable and that the French government picked up all the necessary expenses. The rooms had all the necessary amenities and she received a stipend of 120 Euros per month. “They gave us 60 Euros the very first day. Every week we’d get a package of staples; macaroni, milk, sugar, etc. There was no problem when it came to food.” Despite her advancing age, Mrs. Grigoryan finds it hard remaining idle. She wants to assist her family in whatever way possible. She bastes quilts on her sewing machine and tries to sell them. 90% of those who leave Armenia can be termed “migrant workers” – People who are either unemployed or under-employed, receiving less than sufficient wages to live on. Middle class under-employed leaving Armenia “Research has shown that five years ago people were leaving because they were unemployed. According to studies conducted three years ago, about half of those leaving were under-employed.” This is the statement made by Irina Davtyan, head of the Migration Programs Department at the RoA Ministry Of Territorial Administration’s Migration Agency, at a recent seminar organized by “People in Need”, a Czech  nonprofit, non-governmental organization that implements relief and development projects in crisis regions around the globe. Irina Davtyan adds that there’s the misconception that only vulnerable segments of Armenian society seek to migrate. In fact, a majority of those who migrate come from the middle class. Temporary migrants and those who never return state that they leave because they see no long-term development prospects in Armenia. In 2008, Gohar Karoufanyan also returned from France. She left with her family and spent three years in Lyon. Not being able to cope with their new surroundings, the family returned to Armenia. Gohar is a manicurist by trade and also is tattooist. She says she did the same work in Lyon but that she missed her relatives very much. “My husband was the first to leave. My daughter and I followed in 2005. We lived in Lyon for three years. We had friends but, in the end, I couldn’t deal with the situation. I’d be lying if I told you that I’m a very patriotic person. But I feel more at ease here than in a foreign land. True, I had friends there but my close relatives, mother and brother, were here,” says Gohar. She says that they had rented an apartment in Lyon and that her husband was working. Gohar had found work as a manicurist and hairdresser. But she wasn’t officially employed at a beauty shop. She would ply her trade by visiting customers in their apartments. “It may sound a bit crude, but the French would prefer to spend 10,000 Euros to facilitate your return than to have to support you for the rest of your life in their country. Statistics on migration flows don’t provide a full picture because the numbers are collected in two ways. Border guards register the numbers of those leaving and entering the country and this provides a basis for compiling a migration net scale, the difference between those leaving and entering. Second, the Passport Desk at the National Statistics Service is provided with the number of those seeking permanent residence in the country. 2009 1st quarter migration figures not encouraging Based on figures registered at border crossing points, the migration picture in Armenia is as follows: during January-March 2009, the number of those leaving the country surpassed those entering, resulting in a negative net migration. Compared to the same period in 2008, the number of those entering the country decreased by 25,600, or 79.7%. In March, a positive net flow of 1,200 was registered. This favorably compares to a 15,600 negative balance in March, 2008. “In our estimation, this decrease may be linked to the current financial crisis and the fact that those seeking work abroad has dropped,” this according to the statistics of the “Back to Armenia” migration agency. In 2008, 1,874 individuals applied to various RoA embassies and consulates for necessary paperwork in order to return to Armenia. Of these, 1,250 were granted the right to return. The remainder was refused because they were still registered in the RoA residency rolls. Of those refused a majority of those facing deportation had provided false information. As a rule, Armenians provide false information in order to get refugee status. There are large numbers of RoA citizens residing illegally in Western Europe, particularly Germany, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland, and in the United States who constantly face the threat of being deported. “For this reason, RoA citizens frequently provide phony names when interviewed by foreign immigration agencies. This, in turn, complicates their return process to Armenia,” states Artur Sargsyan, First Secretary of the Division of Migration of the Consular Department at the RoA Foreign Ministry. “Out of pure vanity, people come back and make up tall tales about the life they led overseas. In fact, they suffer from a host of serious psychological problems,” Irina Davtyan continues. Most Armenians cross the border legally and apply for refugee status after their travel or work visas have expired. A case file is opened and the various immigration agencies attempt to verify the applicant’s identity and the reasons given by the applicant for the residency request. These agencies apply to Armenian government departments for verification and the applicant is deported if it is confirmed that he or she has supplied false information. However, the denial can be appealed. Usually, the applicant is transferred to a special holding facility during the appeals process, as was the case with Mrs. Grigoryan in France. “If, during the first few years after independence, Armenia was in the top twenty of twenty-six European countries in terms of migration stability, we slowly faded from that list afterwards,” notes Mrs. Davtyan. Most of the migrants from Armenia are illegal since they are primarily migrant workers. Thus, there are no reliable statistics. There are also no reliable statistics regarding their return to Armenia and the individual countries of their departure.