Since the collapse of the former Iraqi regime in 2003 at the hands of US forces and their allies, the Kurdistan region of Iraq has witnessed an urban and economic movement whose effects are visible.

High-rise buildings, shops with the names of foreign brands, modern cars, and the absence of signs of armament.

Ari Jalal, head of the Lutka organization concerned with immigrant affairs, says that this year alone has seen the exodus of more than forty thousand from Iraq, the vast majority of whom are from the Kurdistan region.

There seems to be a strong desire to emigrate here.

"I will sell my house to immigrate."

Rebwar, 46, wants to sell his small house, to pay immigration fees to smugglers or intermediaries.

Rebwar failed four times to fulfil his dream of emigrating, but he is still determined to go to Britain and this time wants to take his family of five with him, including his wife, who has cancer.

We asked the wife if the drowning had scared her from the idea of emigrating. She said, "I feel sorry for those who lost their lives at sea, and my heartfelt condolences go to their families, but we are determined to emigrate."

However, why would one want to sell one's home and risk emigrating, especially since the region's conditions are relatively better than other regions in Iraq?

"In 1991 I was 16 years old, and today, after thirty years, I have built nothing for my future, and I do not want my children to live in the same situation," says Rebwar, referring to the start of the era of de facto independence for the Kurdistan region of Iraq after the second Gulf War.

His wife intervenes, saying: "The networks linked to the Barzani and Talabani families, the economic situation, and the lack of educational opportunities are all pushing us to emigrate."

"The vast majority of current immigrants are in the 18-25 age group," says the head of Lutka.

The class-clan nature of Kurdish societies reduces employment and education opportunities for the youth groups who live in villages and peripheral areas.

Migrants face death in the hope of a better life.

Since the Islamic State took control of areas adjacent to the region in 2014, the economic situation in Iraqi Kurdistan has been affected, whether in terms of the absence of investors or the decline in revenues coming from Baghdad.

Since then, the number of immigrants from the region has increased.

Immigrants who dream of reaching Europe spend vast sums of money to achieve their goal, without which they may die.

Rebwar said that his family's immigration trip "would cost me about $90,000 for the whole family".

Illegal immigration processes take place through several stages, starting from here. Tour companies are working to secure visas for neighbouring countries like Turkey, Iran, or Georgia.

One of the smugglers agreed to speak to me, after specifying the place and time, at the last moment, for fear of being followed by the authorities.

Nizar, a nom de guerre, says that smugglers set prices for migration trips according to their type: "The price of land is different from sea, and this varies according to the size of the boat. A large rubber boat may cost $1,000 per person, while large ships cost more."

"The destination also determines the cost. The average cost per person to the European Union is higher than to other regions," he adds.

Nizar explains the path that migration trips usually follow: "The traditional way is for a person to secure his visa, either through us or on his own, to countries of origin such as Turkey, from which he begins the journey by land (via Greece or Bulgaria) or by sea (through Greece), according to different prices to reach the European Union.

He adds that this changed with the entry of Belarus on the line, where the cost of the visa is obtained through "tourist offices, intermediaries, or even workers in international consulates".

Nizar says, "The legal visa fee does not exceed eighty dollars, while the price through intermediaries ranges between 6000-8000 dollars."

Some Kurdish migrants who tried to cross into the European Union via Belarus returned as lifeless bodies.

During the past few months, immigration flights have been arriving in Belarus, after which the migrants continue the way either on foot or in trucks entering the European Union.

Nizar believes that "the closure of the Belarusian border with the European Union may restore the activity of the traditional route through Turkey by sea or land."

During the past few days, Iraq returned many of its citizens stuck on the border between Belarus and Bulgaria, while others returned as lifeless bodies. But in the absence of a significant change in the region's conditions that push many to emigrate - and these circumstances converge with the desire of some to collect money, it seems that the migration convoys from the region will continue.