Hello, My name is Erik. My fiancé is a Bosnian refugee who has been here in America for the last 16 years. Recently she decided that she would like for us to move to Bosnia for a few years, to her hometown of Prejidor. She is an online teacher and thinks if we stay in her old family home, that would be a good way for her to spend time with her family still in Bosnia and save money at the same time. She is Croation and I am American and I have concerns about her safety because its very difficult to find information about this online. How safe is it? How hard would it be for her to return and how difficult for returning refugees to bring their spouse back with them? etc etc. Im hoping to find anyone who has either been through this or knows people who have and can give me advice or information.
Returning Refugee and American spouse
@ErikHatch
Hello, Erik!
I understand your concern although I am also interested in moving to Bosnia.
From a intentional homicide point of view Bosnia And Herzegovina seem to be save. However there has been a significant shift in ethnical composition in the regions. If your spouse has left Prejidor (which does not seem as badly cleansed as other towns in the Serbian part of the country ) why would she want to return. There seems to be less than 1/3 of the Croatian population left that lived their in 1991. In the Republika Srpska only about 1/5 of the Croatian population are left, If you look at the real estate platforms almost all the properties offered are in this half of the country. I wonder why, it makes me really worry.
I would also be very interested in hearing from someone living in Bosnia and Herzegovina whether there has been a repossession or redistribution of property from one part of the population to another and that is being sold of now or whether people still do not feel right in the wrong part of the country even though they could theoretically could live there. Sometimes it seems to me that this country is a miniature Yugoslavia.
Having said that a friend of mine just bought in the canton of Posavina (which is part of The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - the Bosnian and Croation part) and is very happy about that although he is aware of discomfort on the basis of ethnicity. He hopes that as a foreigner he will not be part of this friction.
All the best in your decision making process.
Armin
