Repatriation of Afghan refugees residing in Iran has become a major concern for Iranian authorities. This article attempts to establish a typology of Afghan refugees in Iran and identify factors affecting their voluntary repatriation. It is based on the findings from a survey of 400 Afghan refugee families conducted in Golshahr, Mashhad. The study shows that, notwithstanding Afghanistan’s security concerns, voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees is a function of the weakness or strength of their social ties to the countries of origin and destination. Years of living in Iran and developing various tangible (economic) and non-tangible ties to the host country may have weakened Afghan refugees’ ties to their places of origin.
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