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The latest migration crisis in Europe showed not quite typical directions of refugee flows. This study aims to determine the reasons and motives for the migration of refugees to a specific host country using the example of Ukrainian refugees in Norway and Bulgaria. By conducting two identical surveys in these countries, the study tests the importance of the host country in shaping the direction of the refugees’ movement. The proposed five-group classification made it possible to assign Ukrainian refugees in both countries to distinct motivational categories. Study results showed that mainly dreamers, nongenuine asylum seekers, and ambiguous refugees went to Norway. For the most part, they do not want to return home and are ready to integrate into the host society, although it is not very easy. However, mostly hopeless and temporary refugees went to Bulgaria, who still dream of returning home as soon as possible. But if the war with Russia in Ukraine were to continue and the refugees’ stay prolonged, the refugees might gradually integrate, adjust their outlook, and shift toward the profile of ambiguous refugees. Thus, this study expanded the refugee classification, applying it to identify the impact of the host country pull factors on refugees’ destination decisions, which proved to be significant.
Goncharuk et al. (Tue,) studied this question.