Refugees eventually had opportunities to leave Germany, to start afresh. The IRO was recruiting workers for other countries and the first opportunity for emigration was form men to go to England to work on farms or in mines. The number of emigrants increased steadily, reaching its culmination point in the late 1940s. Refugees emigrated to America, Australia, Canada and elsewhere.

Not all refugees had equal emigration opportunities. Each country had its own demands: the personís health, family situation, and war history all influenced their chances to get away from the camp and find a new home. In some cases families had to part because of immigration rules. The process of emigration involved many health tests, documents, guarantor and sponsor searches etc. Families that obtained permission to emigrate packed their bags, farewelled their friends and went to transit camps in Bremerhaven, Fallingbostel or elsewhere to await their ship to the “promised land”.

Then life in exile started. People adjusted to their new surroundings differently ósome kept together with other Latvians and created organizations and societies to maintain their culture. DP camps had created the basis for the Latvian exile communityís political and cultural activities. Others tried as soon as possible to embrace the local community and forget the past with its problems of war and refuge.