The war in the period between 1991 and 1999 caused a continuous departure of citizens from the Republic of Serbia, primarily to Western Europe and Scandinavia, followed by transatlantic countries: Canada, Australia and the USA. The motives and reasons for departure depended on the following circumstances individuals and groups found themselves in:

- war conflict in Serbia and the region, leading towards an unclear situation and outcome;
- great numbers of dead and injured;
- mass military drafts;
- extensive refugee influx;
- general legal insecurity and impossibility to access the legal system;
- occasional shortages and price leaps of particular products;
- enormous inflation of domestic currency;
- rise in all criminal activities and illegal trade related to war stricken regions.

Migrants from Serbia came to EU and Scandinavian countries in great numbers and were granted “temporary protected status”, as a form of refugee-migrant protection implemented in cases of great refugee influx and when it is impossible to carry out individual procedures required for accessing the right to asylum. Bearing in mind that we have here an exceptional measure created by the states' governments in question, the temporary protection status is usually prolonged after a one year period. It should also be noted that a certain number of people from Serbia entered the beforementioned countries legally, did not seek asylum, and stayed illegally, or both entered and stayed illegally.