EMIGRATING FROM ALBANIA OR IMMIGRATING TO ALBANIA? THE CASE OF ITALIAN SKILLED IMMIGRANTS

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to analyze from the transnational perspective of 
migration, the immigration of Italians in Albania, phenomenon that have occured 
within 10 last years.  
The sociological litterature has always put the attention on the Albanian immigration to 
Italy, but nowadays we can also discuss about the Italian immigration to Albania. 
According to the official data, around 19.000 Italians have the permit to live in Abania 
for work or study reasons. Contemporary forms of migration are nawadays understood 
as a dimension of globalisation processes, but can globalisation explain the immigration 
of Italians to Albania? 
The methods used to gather the data in this study are: secondary data analysis and 
qualitative methods of data collection through semi-structured interviews, focus
groups and free discutions with the Italian immigrants who live in Albania. In the 
interviewing process (both individual interviewing and focus-groups) participated 37 
immigrants. The thematic analysis, based on the labeling and coding, has been used to 
gather the study findings. 
The research showed that  some push, pull and ”network” factors have influenced the 
the migratory project of the Italian immigrants in Albania.