
A Syrian family seeking asylum in Scotland has been offered £3,000 by the British Home Office to relocate to Albania, a country none of the family members have ever visited.
The case, published by the Scottish newspaper The Sunday National, raises questions about the accuracy of British authorities' decision-making on asylum, but also about the way Albania continues to be involved in immigration issues, without verifying whether a relevant agreement exists.
"This significant assistance could help you build your long-term future or that of your family in Albania," says the letter that the British Home Office sent to Fadi Alsakka, who lives in Glasgow with his wife Lojain and their two children, aged 11 and 10.
But the Albanian Embassy in the United Kingdom has reacted publicly, denying the existence of such an agreement.
"There is no such agreement between the United Kingdom and Albania," the embassy stated in a response on the X platform.
Albania's involvement in this case, without a corresponding agreement, highlights another problem in Britain's handling of immigration issues.
Although this time it is not about the criminalization of Albanians, the country is mentioned as a relocation destination without a confirmed basis for agreement.