The Greek Debt Crisis and Albanian Return Migration

Existing research on the relatively recent phenomenon of Albanian migrants returning to Albania is limited and focuses on the reasons for return, the characteristics of the return migrants, and on employment in general. Based on in-depth qualitative interviews with 25 returnees in Tirana, the study explores primarily, but not exclusively, the impact of the ongoing Greek debt crisis on the decision of Albanian migrants to return to Albania. More specifically, it analyses the reasons that motivated them to leave Greece; the barriers they faced while trying to reintegrate into Albanian society, which has undergone vast changes during the time of their absence; the way these barriers influence their future intentions; and, finally, the role of the Albanian government in their reintegration.