Several young Kurds are learning barbering at a small barbershop in Ranya as they prepare to migrate to Europe in search of better opportunities. Many Kurdish youth continue to take perilous routes to reach Europe, driven by unemployment and economic hardship in the Kurdistan Region.

Darian Dler, a 20-year-old resident of Ranya, recently became a barber in the town center. He plans to leave soon, following in the footsteps of many who have sought to establish a more stable future abroad.

"You can live with it, but you cannot build a future with it. There are people who learned barbering here, migrated to Europe, stayed there for a couple of years, secured a future, and returned," Dler told Rudaw.

Many Kurdish migrants have realized that arriving in Europe without skills or language proficiency presents significant challenges. In the first half of 2024, around 3,000 undocumented Iraqis, including Kurds, reached the United Kingdom via the English Channel, making Iraqis the seventh-largest nationality crossing by boat. Between July 2023 and June 2024, 26 Iraqis were deported from the UK, while 193 returned voluntarily, according to InfoMigrants.

However, migration does not always bring the success many anticipate. Abubakir Ali, the Head of the Association of Returned Migrants, highlighted the struggles faced by those who regret leaving.

"We receive tens of phone calls from people saying they want to return. But because they have run out of money, they are waiting for one of the international organizations to provide financial assistance for migrants to return to their home countries, including the Kurdistan Region. But the amount of money has drastically decreased. That is why they are waiting to return via these organizations as many regret going abroad after realizing that Europe isn’t the paradise they imagined," Ali said.

As the economic challenges persist in the Kurdistan Region, young Kurds continue to weigh their options, with some learning trades like barbering to increase their chances of success abroad.