The purpose of the Government program of primary assistance for reintegration of nationals returning to the Republic of Armenia is to provide primary assistance to the Republic of Armenia nationals returning (including involuntary) to Armenia to ensure their future full and sustainable reintegration. The program has two components:

• Provision of information support and needs based referral;

• Provision of temporary rental subsidy.

Migrants returning to Armenia face several reintegration challenges such as awareness, employment, housing, socioeconomic, psychological, educational, cultural and other issues. The first component on information and referral support envisages number of measures, including:

• Information on the legal framework, lists of health-care providers, social assistance frameworks, the pension system, information on compulsory military service, customs exceptions, documentation challenges (passports, dual citizenship);

• Referrals relating to health-care problems;

• Referrals of vulnerable groups such as unaccompanied minors and those with disabilities.

The second component of the program envisages a subsidy for an apartment rent. The subsidy in the amount of 60,000 AMD (120$) is for a 6-month period. The beneficiaries of the second component are the Armenian returning nationals who have lived in another country for at least one year and applied to the Program within three months after the return, including:

• Returnees under the readmission agreements;

• Armenian nationals deported or expelled from a foreign country.

• Voluntary returnees of multi-child families (with 4 or more children); • Voluntary returnees with disabilities.

Children, along with women, the elderly, persons with disabilities and families, are identified as targets of specific measures. The Programm identifies the needs for gender and age-sensitive methods to assess needs. Issues of accommodating adults with disabilities and elderly (age of 65 and above) in relevant care centers are addressed in the Programm.