MPs Say No Clear Basis for Accepting Albanian Asylum Claims

An inflatable craft carrying illegal immigrants crosses the shipping lane in the English Channel off the coast of Dover, England, on Aug. 4, 2022. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

There is no clear basis for the UK to accept thousands of asylum applications from Albanian citizens, a cross-party group of MPs has found.

The Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons said in a report (pdf) on Monday that it has found little evidence to indicate significant numbers of Albanian nationals are at risk in their own country and require asylum in the UK.

But the committee said more needs to be done to support the Albanian victims of people smuggling, especially women.

A group of illegal immigrants are brought by a Border Force vessel to Dover, Kent, on May 19, 2023. Gareth Fuller/PA Media

More than a quarter of the 45,755 illegal immigrants who crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2022 were Albanian, most of whom claimed asylum.

The number of Albanians making the Channel crossing in small boats rose from 800 in 2021 to 12,301 last year, an increase that the committee said was “both unexpected and unexplained.”

‘Safe Country’

Labour chair of the committee Dame Diana Johnson MP said, “Such a substantial sudden increase in asylum claims from a seemingly peaceful country understandably raised concerns.”

“Albania is a safe country, it is not at war, and is a candidate country to join the European Union,” the committee said, adding, “There is no clear basis for the UK to routinely accept thousands of asylum applications from Albanian citizens.”

According to the report, up to June 2022, 51 percent of asylum claims from Albania were initially accepted, a rate far higher than many comparable European nations.

Nine countries, including Germany, accepted no asylum claims from Albania.

The committee said, “The Home Office must explain why the UK’s acceptance rate was so high, particularly compared to other countries. It must also explain why the acceptance rate is substantially higher for women (88 percent) than for men (13 percent).

Economic Migrants

The committee said the main driver of migration from Albania was economic and recommended the government promote seasonal work visas in agriculture and construction to give more Albanians the opportunity to come to the UK without making illegal Channel crossings.

Only 325 work visas were granted to Albanian nationals in the first nine months of 2022, said the report, which cited evidence submitted to the committee as arguing that “a perceived difficulty in obtaining work in the UK through legal means could be driving people towards clandestine migration routes.”

Johnson added: “People will continue to be attracted to the UK from Albania while it continues to offer job opportunities and higher wages. The UK should look at how access to work visa schemes can be improved to fill our skills or staffing gaps while offering Albanian nationals a route to higher income, benefiting both nations.”

The MPs also stressed the importance of maintaining “positive relations” with the Albanian government to ensure that the UK can return illegal immigrants and offenders from UK prisons.

The report called on politicians and commentators to “show restraint in their language and not single out Albania as the sole cause of the UK’s asylum pressures.”

Albanian Arrivals ‘Down 90 Percent’

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “This government’s priority is stopping the boats. Last year, 28 percent of those who arrived by small boat to the UK were from Albania—a safe European country and NATO ally—placing further strain on our asylum system.

“We’ve worked closely with the Albanian government to disrupt criminal gangs and deter illegal migration.

“In the five months to the end of May, Albanian small boat arrivals are down 90 percent on last year and we have returned 1,800 illegal migrants and foreign criminals back to Albania.

“Thanks to changes to our asylum system, we have gone from accepting one in five Albanian asylum claims to just one in 50, in line with other European countries.

“We will carefully consider the report and respond in due course.”

PA Media contributed to this report.