Kebede, Wassie (PHD)Getachew, Milki2018-06-202023-11-042018-06-202023-11-042014-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/2237Illegal migration of youth to the Arab countries has become a common phenomenon for most households in Ethiopia. Research emphasizing on aspects of migration in Ethiopia has focused on economic and political issues; particularly the problem of youth unemployment are recursively pointed out as the major reasons behind migration. However, this cannot be reliable explanation for immigration of Ethiopians to the Middle East unless the causes of migration are thoroughly investigated. In the absence of detailed explanations of migration, it would have been erroneous to generalize the motive of youth for immigration. Thus, this cross-sectional research with the objective of revealing causes of youth immigration, engage at exploring the roles of family members and friends in youth‟s immigration decision. The study participants of this research are eight forced returnee youth from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), eight family members and three key informants from Kebele 03 Administration and Wore-Illu Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College. Findings of this research indicate that intersection of multiple stressors: poverty, harmful traditional practices, family breakdown and being a member of reconstituted family, pressure of family members and friends, feelings of inferiority and desire of independence made youth vulnerable for illegal immigration. The finding unearths the roles of family members and friends at four operational phases of migration which are in the pre-migration phase, on the journey, at the destination country and on return. At the end, the study recommends that all concerned bodies working to curb the incidence of illegal immigration need to focus at micro and mezzo level interventionenIrregular migration; family and friends roles; youth; Human trafficking ;Human smugglingThesis