Over 1600 were the number of new requests for residence permits during 2024 alone. In Vlora, with the start of the tourist season, the workforce is also required, which apparently is being replaced with foreign citizens.
Hotel units and private entities mainly in the tourism sector have begun to hire foreign employees to cope with the start of the summer season and to be ready with the missing workforce after most of the workforce, mainly from Vlora, has left.
This has led to a high number of requests from foreign citizens, mainly from African and Asian countries, who choose Vlora to work, at the migration office in Vlora every day. There are also many Italians of retirement age who have chosen the coastal city to continue their lives.
At the migration office located in the Vlora seaport, we meet foreign citizens from Turkey, Australia, and even Italy. They say they have come to Vlora to work or live permanently, while also explaining the reasons why they chose the city.
Many of them have lived in the city for years, while others are coming for the first time. All have chosen to initially invest by buying a house to live in with the intention of engaging in business in the coming years.
"I come from Australia, I lived there before and will now live in Vlora. We like this city a lot. There is a lot of space for us. More space compared to Tirana. We have visited Tirana before but in Vlora there is more space. I like the sea and the beach more here. The people are very kind and extremely helpful. Many people we don't know speak to us in Albanian, Italian or English. We have decided to stay here forever. Maybe we will visit Australia someday but we will stay here. We have bought a house here. We will invest in business in the future, maybe in tourism. Between Australia and Vlora I will choose Vlora. It is a slower life here. In Australia you don't have time and a very chaotic life. stressful. For Australian citizens who want to come to Vlora I can tell you that life is very calm here, not stressful, kind people, a place very close to Europe where you can visit different countries where there are also many opportunities to travel by car. "A lot of good nature, the sea, where you can also find the forest, you can even go hiking and climbing in the mountains, everything."
"I come to Vlora as a retiree. to a city that is beautiful and you feel good. Albanians are a very wonderful people and that is the reason why I am here. We are here as retirees, let's say on vacation. We have been residents here for 4 years. We have not started a business here yet because we are of retirement age. I said at the beginning that I like Vlora a lot and we feel quite good here."
"I'm from Turkey, I come to Vlora to work. To work marble the Turkish way. That's why we're here now."
According to data provided by the Directorate of Borders and Migration, 1,400 foreign citizens are residents in Vlora. They currently possess a residence permit or passport. Over 1,600 were the number of new requests for residence permits during 2024 alone.
Nationalities such as the Philippines, India, Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh predominate, but there is also a lack of Europeans, where Italians certainly predominate. (A2 Televizion)
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