UK advertising campaign to deter Albanians from illegal immigration

The UK Home Office has launched an advertising campaign targeting Albanian citizens to discourage them from immigrating to the UK.

The ads, which will appear in Albanian on Facebook and Instagram, will warn that people "will be punished with detention and deportation" if they make the trip.

Gorou's appeal to the Supreme Court is in vain, his conviction is locked in

The British government said the campaign, which will start next week, would “make clear the dangers” faced by migrants in small boats. The Labour Party said the move “requires conviction” and the asylum system was “in chaos”.

According to the Home Office, Albania is a “safe and prosperous country” and many nationals “travel through multiple countries to reach the UK” before making “false asylum claims when they arrive.”

The campaign follows a similar social media movement launched by the government in August last year.

Immigration Secretary Robert Jenrick said the campaign would "work proactively at source before people embark on dangerous and unnecessary journeys".

Albania was the most common nationality to apply for asylum in the UK in the year to March 2023, with 13,714 applications from Albanian nationals.

Jenrick said: “We are determined to stop the boats and the campaign, which launched in Albania this week, is just one element of the Home Office’s work to dispel myths about illegal travel to the UK, explain the reality and combat lies peddled by evil smugglers who profit from this dirty trade.”

The government will not say how much the advertising is expected to cost.