Al Jazeera World

A Passage to Nowhere

A story of migrants in Lebanon, whose dreams of finding a new life abroad often turn out to be little more than fantasy.

For years before Syrian refugees began flooding over the border into Lebanon, undocumented migrants from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan have been making the hazardous journey there.

‘This home is like a prison’

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Undocumented migrants and refugees in Lebanon reflect on the trials of a rootless and helpless existence

Most of them do so in the often vain hope of being relocated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to Europe, the US or Canada.

To get to Lebanon, they cross borders and rough terrain. But when they get there, they live on the margins of society and often have to stay far longer than expected.

This film hears from the refugees themselves, about why they came to Lebanon in the first place, what their lives are like, and where they hope to eventually be.

Through three main characters – a Sudanese woman, a young Iraqi, and a Syrian man – the film tells the story of their alienation from mainstream society and their prolonged wait to have their cases processed.

For many migrants, the dream of starting a new life abroad often turns out to be nothing more than a fantasy. Sometimes they never leave, and their journey to Lebanon is truly just a ‘passage to nowhere’.

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