<p>Return migration has become a prominent feature of international labour mobility and is recognised in the literature as an important development mechanism. Yet, empirical evidence on the determinants of return migration and the occupational choices of returnees remains limited. Drawing on household survey data collected from 435 migrants across 399 households in Nepal, including 208 returnees, this study employs probit and multinomial logit models to examine the factors shaping return migration and post-return occupational choices of returnees. The results show that migrants’ social and economic ties—such as marital status, household headship, linkages with returnee relatives, and productive investments at home—significantly increase the likelihood of return, while structural factors, including migration to Malaysia and Middle Eastern countries, also induce return. In contrast, human capital and migration experiences—notably higher education, previous migration, longer overseas stays, and skilled employment at destinations—reduce the probability of return. Regarding reintegration upon return, returnees with higher education, skills acquired abroad, and accumulated income are more likely to pursue entrepreneurship, while farm ownership and compelling reasons for return reinforce self-employment. These findings underscore the importance of policies that consider these dynamics and create a supportive reintegration environment, such as access to financial services, skill-based employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities, to encourage return migration and enable returnees to utilise their accumulated human, financial, and social capital for boosting their productive reintegration in Nepal.</p>