Albanians could help fill Britain's staff shortages, says MPs' migration report

A study by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee suggests "more actively promoting in Albania and elsewhere the provision of short-term work visas in sectors in which the UK needs workers".

The number of Albanians arriving in Britain on small boats across the English Channel has plunged this year (

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MPs are today calling on the government to recruit Albanians to help tackle staff shortages.

A study by the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee suggests a campaign in Albania “and elsewhere” to promote temporary work visas in sectors most affected by staff shortages.

This could prevent more Albanians from crossing the English Channel in small rubber boats and seeking asylum, the panel says.

"Albania should not be treated any special way when it comes to work visas: its citizens have as much right as anyone else to apply for those available in the UK," the report says. .

“There may, however, be room to promote more actively in Albania and elsewhere the granting of short-term work visas in sectors where the UK needs workers – seasonal agriculture or construction, for example - for the specific purpose of allowing some transfer of wealth to countries from which asylum claims would not normally be accepted, but from which significant numbers of people seek opportunities elsewhere."

Committee chairwoman Dame Diana Johnson warned: "People will continue to be drawn to the UK from Albania as it continues to offer employment opportunities and higher wages .

Labour MP Diana Johnson chairs the Home Affairs Committee (

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"The UK should consider how access to work visa schemes can be improved to address our skills or staffing gaps, while offering Albanian nationals a pathway to higher incomes, at least benefit of both nations."

More than a quarter of the 45,755 migrants who crossed the English Channel in small dinghies last year were from Albania - and most sought asylum.

The number of small boat arrivals on the Strait of Dover - the busiest shipping lane in the world - has increased from 800 in 2021 to 12,301 in 2022.

In today's release of its 30-page report, 'Asylum and Migration: Albania', the commission says the increase "was both unexpected and unexplained".

Dame Diana said: 'A sudden and substantial increase in asylum applications from an apparently peaceful country has understandably raised concerns.

Arrivals from Albania have dropped significantly this year...