Migrants rush for new passports

TIRANA, Aug 31 – Thousands of Albanian migrants spent many of their vacation days back in their homeland for the long application process for the new identity cards and biometric passports.
The process in itself is not long but only takes a few minutes.
What they have to wait for is long hours in line as there are few application boxes or offices around the country able to cope with the influx of migrants these days.
Many of them had to return for a second or third day and then, it was not possible for them to get the new IDs or biometric passports within their allotted vacation time.
There had been an order that they could not leave the country with the old passport but authorities understood it was not possible to supply the big crowds of people with the new passports. Thus they cancelled the first order and re-advised border police to let them go with their old passports and making it possible for them to get the new passports at their residence countries.
Authorities also extended the opening hours of the application offices. The Aleat company will keep its application offices open from 8 a.m. to 7.30 p.m..
That has not been enough and applicants have started to hold protests in some cities. In northern Shkodra people gathered in front of the city hall to protest saying it was not understandable for them why they had to wait for long hours listening to the justification of the application offices of not having internet access. They presented long lists of people waiting to apply and said their protests could be prolonged and held in other forms if needed.