About why she left China in 2010, Jia Li explained, “I came to Ireland because I was curious about other countries. I wanted to see what it is like, and I was looking for work opportunities.” Although her visa had expired after six months, Jia Li found her own apartment and took any jobs that she was offered.

In 2012, she faced a long period of unemployment.  Jia Li could not find work that paid enough for her to afford to live in her apartment any longer. She then decided to apply for assistance from IOM to return to her family and son in China.

Jia Li missed Ireland and felt that it took her several months to settle into her new life.  “I did not fit in at first, but I got used to it. The working pace in China is really different from Ireland. It is fast.” In order to find a job, she applied for the IOM Ireland reintegration grant to receive her driver’s license. Because she saw driving as an essential skill, she was confident that it would help her find work.

Jia Li described her feelings about her return in 2013:
“It is hard to say if returning was a good decision. When I face difficulties, I am sometimes not happy in China. But overall, it is okay. Even if you have difficulties, what can you do? You have returned. Now I have opened a small restaurant with my friend. It only opened one month ago. There is no direct connection between driving and the restaurant business, but driving will definitely help in the future.”