Circular migration in practice: labour mobility between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

This article examines the migration trajectories of Bosnian migrants to Slovenia with a primary focus on circular migration. While circular migration has been promoted within European policy frameworks as a model benefiting origin countries, destination countries, and migrants, its empirical outcomes remain contested. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, the study combines an analysis of residence permit data with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with Bosnian migrants in Slovenia. The findings reveal that, although temporary labour migration has increased, circular migration rarely materializes as a sustained pattern. Instead, migration trajectories tend to evolve towards long-term or permanent settlement, driven by labour market conditions, family reunification, and migrants’ social integration in the host country. The article argues that circular migration should not be understood as a distinct or stable form of mobility, but rather as a conditional and context-dependent model shaped by the interaction of structural factors, institutional frameworks, and migrant agency.