The incomplete trajectory of Albanian migration in Greece

Abstract

The study addresses the irregular migration of Albanians to Greece. In particular, it analyses the key findings of the fieldwork with 87 Albanian migrants, the dynamic of irregular migration from Albania to Greece, the factors and the actors who affect them as well as the success or failure of the relevant migration policies. The report shows that the expanding possibility of legal entry into Greece has had the immediate consequence of limiting irregular border crossing. What emerges is that the dynamic of attraction exerted by the demand for seasonal work in sectors like tourism and agriculture, is critical in shaping the irregular migration map. The data of the case study showed that irregular flows are not significantly implicating new migrants. Rather, we see that the involvement of those who perhaps possess even rudimentary information about the Greek environment and maintain contacts with the migration networks (ethnic, family and/or with Greek employers) in Greece. Finally, the migration plans of Albanians have been shaped accordingly with the impact of the crisis on opportunities for employment in Greece, the legal status, the level of influence and facilitation provided by migration networks, the migration policies, the liberalisation of the entry visa for Albanian nationals (implemented in December 2010), the bilateral relations between Albanian and Greece, and the unstable political and socio-economic situation in Albania.