As immigration is a normal and widespread phenomenon all over the world, in Albania its proportions are so high in relation to the population and the level of development where it is located, as a candidate country to enter the European Union, that they set a record world. 

Albania ranks first in the world for asylum applications in relation to the population for the first 7 months of the year in the European Union and for the first 6 months of 2022 in the United Kingdom, according to Eurostat data on asylum applications, and the government of the Kingdom of the United Kingdom (www.gov.uk), processed by "Monitor" in relation to the population. 

In Albania, for every 1000 inhabitants, almost 5 inhabitants have applied for asylum (2.4 in the countries of the European Union and 2.6 in the United Kingdom). Albania leaves behind Georgia with 3.9 applications per 1,000 inhabitants (of which 3.7 are in European Union countries) and Syria, which has 3.1 applications per thousand inhabitants, of which 2.9 are in European Union countries (see graph: Applications for asylum in relation to the population, January-July 2022). 

After Albania, countries such as Eritrea, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Moldova, Armenia, Tunisia and then North Macedonia (0.65 applications per thousand inhabitants) and Kosovo (0.6 applications per thousand inhabitants) rank. 

For the first two countries, Georgia and Syria, the main reasons for applying for asylum are related to war. 

Georgia saw a significant increase in asylum applications after the invasion of Ukraine, which has been an important factor influencing Georgian citizens to apply for international protection in European Union countries, according to the EU's asylum office. 

In Syria, which has been suffering the violence of the civil war for a long time, Syrians are leaving because of the violence (about 13 thousand children have lost their lives or been injured), the infrastructure is collapsing, the health systems, schools, water pipes, etc. have been damaged or are destroyed, according to a World Vision report. 

In Albania, asylum applications have increased significantly since the pandemic. According to Eurostat data, for the period January-August 2022, a total of 6,860 asylum applications were registered in the EU by Albanian citizens, with an increase of 68% compared to the same period last year. Only for applications in the European Union, Albania ranks third in relation to population, after Georgia and Syria. 

But in 2022, there is a very high increase in applications in the United Kingdom, which puts Albania at the top of the global list for high asylum requests. According to the official data of the United Kingdom on the website www.gov.al, only for the first 6 months of the year, 7,267 people sought asylum from Albania, more than in all the countries of the European Union, ranking second in number after Iran (10,752). While in relation to the population, Albania has 2.6 applications per thousand inhabitants, compared to Iran, with 0.1 applications per thousand inhabitants. 

The number of people entering the UK is higher, but not all are seeking asylum. British media reports that 12,000 Albanian nationals have entered the UK illegally this year by sea, or 30% of all boat entries into the country. https://www.monitor.al/12-mije-shqiptare-kane-hyre-illegalisht-ne-angli-kete-vit-alarmi-i-autoriteteve-britanike/ 

Including entries in the United Kingdom, there are a total of 14,000 applications from Albanians in the EU and the United Kingdom in the first half of the year. 

The new wave of emigration is causing problems in finding the workforce, according to a recent World Bank report. 

The bank analyzed that unemployment, corruption and immigration remain the main concerns of businesses in the region. 

(Source: Monitor)