Voluntary return is hailed as the ‘preferred’ solution to displacement by many actors in the refugee regime, including states, international organizations such as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and often by refugees themselves. Many political leaders use the rationale that refugees’ presence is only temporary, and that they will eventually return to their countries of origin, to justify to their sceptical constituents the decision to shelter thousands of beleaguered foreigners. However, obstacles such as ongoing conflict currently impede large-scale returns to countries like Syria, Iraq and South Sudan. This leaves millions in protracted limbo as other so-called durable solutions to refugee situations, such as resettlement to third countries or local integration and the acquisition of citizenship in asylum states, are simultaneously becoming increasingly rare. When refugees do return, voluntarily or otherwise, they commonly face impoverishment and violence, sometimes resulting in repeated displacement.