Why Albanians are now preferring England to neighboring countries like Greece – Astronomical travel fees and high hopes.
Monica Moulai’s son was in his second year of college in Albania , studying to become a mechanical engineer, when he decided to make a bold change : He told his parents he was leaving home for a new future in Britain .
“We had tried to satisfy all his requests, for books and clothes, food and a little entertainment. But he was still unhappy,” Moulai, a high school teacher in the town of Bayram Churi, which is in one of the country’s poorest regions, told The Associated Press .
Five years later, her now 25-year-old son works two jobs in Britain and has no plans to return home. “Albania is going backwards,” he complains to his mother.
The same route has been followed in recent years by thousands of young Albanians who crossed the English Channel in small boats or inflatable dinghies to look for work and a better tomorrow in the United Kingdom. Their odyssey reflects the country’s anemic economy and the yearning of a new generation for new opportunities.
In 2018, only 300 people reached Britain by crossing the channel in small boats. The number skyrocketed to 45,000 in 2022, largely due to arrivals from Albania.
Other immigrants were from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Unlike many countries that feed migration, Albania is considered safe by British officials.
Britain is attractive to Albanians because it has a better economy and higher paying jobs than neighboring countries like Greece or Italy. Many Albanians also have family ties to the UK – Birmingham, for example, has a large immigrant population from the Albanian town of Kukesi, on the border with Kosovo.
Bairam Tsouri’s deputy mayor, Abedin Kernaya, explains that young people are leaving because of low wages and the difficulty of building “a comfortable family life”. His two sons are in the UK.
Jemile Tafai, owner of a restaurant on a picturesque plateau outside the city, says “young people don’t have money to go to school, they don’t have jobs, they don’t have any income.” In such an environment, “only old people are left and soon there will be empty houses,” he warns.
Northeastern Albania, writes the Associated Press article, is known for its natural alpine beauty and green sloping landscape. The area is also famous for chestnuts, blackberries, blueberries and medicinal plants, as well as woolen carpets and other handicrafts.
But these products offer minimal job opportunities. The only jobs are in town halls, schools and hospitals, and a few more in cafes and restaurants.
Petrit Lesi, who owns a motel in Kukesi, has been struggling to find waiters for two years. “I wouldn’t blame a 25-year-old who leaves because of the low wages here,” he admits. “What our country offers is not enough to build a proper life.”
Few, however, are visa-seeking immigrants. They generally pay smugglers 5,000 to 20,000 euros for the dangerous, illegal crossing.
Many migrants make the daring journey in the hope of secure work, only to be denied upon arrival in the UK as in many cases they are forced to work in cannabis grow houses for up to two years in order to pay off the money they smuggled in. them, according to reports in the neighboring country.
The steady flow of migrants has fueled friction between Britain and Albania in recent months. UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman described the arrivals as “an invasion of our south coast” – words that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama denounced as a “crazy narrative” and an attempt to cover up the UK’s failed border policies.
Albania also publicly protested what it called “verbal lynching” by another British official who made comments about Albanian immigrants. Rama accused the new UK cabinet of targeting Albanians because “it has found itself at a standstill with its new policy arising from Brexit”.
Rama was in London on Thursday for talks on immigration with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and accused British officials of “discriminating” against Albanians for political purposes. “It was a very, very embarrassing moment for British politics,” he told the BBC.
Sunak’s spokesman said the UK welcomes and values Albanian migrants who come to the country legally, but added that the large number of people making illegal boat journeys to the UK is putting a strain on the asylum system.
Rama argues that easing visa requirements will help reduce the number of people arriving illegally. In response to the surge in immigration, some agencies are investing in programs that aim to offer opportunities in both countries – jobs for willing Albanians and telecommuting to UK businesses.
Ilias Mazlum, from the Social Development Investment Group of Albania, said immigration is a “cancer”. “We’re offering “chemotherapy,” since a lot of the “morphine” that’s been used so far has only delayed the migration,” he pointed out glibly.
The Albanian government has also offered incentives. Young couples starting a small business will be exempt from tax for up to three years and couples returning from the UK will receive €5,000.
Mazlum’s organization has negotiated with Vodafone Albania to offer free high-speed internet to telecommuters.
“The eyes cannot get enough of the beauty of this place – the food, the fresh air. This is in addition to the very welcoming people, ambitious young people who like to work hard,” Mazlum underlines. “Imagine if we gave a little hope to the people here, what they could do in this place.”
Source: Huffington Post