TIRANA, May 31 – Hundreds of thousands of Albanians tried their “American Dream” luck in late 2017 through the U.S. diversity visa lottery registering a record high since the green card lottery was instituted in 1995.
Data published by the U.S. Department of State shows Albanians filed 189,000 individual applications for the 2018 Diversity Visa Program which including another 178,000 dependents, takes the total number to 367,000 aspirant migrants, about 13 percent of the country’s current 2.8 million resident population.
The number marks a record high in Europe and the Western Balkan region and is lower only compared to Moldova’s approximately 441,000 applications including dependents.
A considerable number of applications is also estimated to have also been filed by more than 1 million Albanians living abroad, mainly in Italy and Greece.
However, only about 4,500 Albanians were lucky enough in the 2018 lottery, an annual record high since 2011 when data is available.
The number of Albanian applying to move to the U.S. through the diversity visa program has been constantly increasing over the past decade in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.
The rush to move to the U.S. is apparently related to the sizeable Albanian-American Community in the U.S. and chasing American Dream in a bid to escape poverty and few opportunities at home.
Some 200,000 Americans of Albanian descent live in the U.S. while the number of Albanian-Americans who permanently live in Albania is estimated at 20,000.
The Albanian population in the U.S. is mostly concentrated in New York, Michigan and Massachusetts with the first arrivals dating back to the early 20th century.
The U.S. has been a strategic partner in Albania’s Euro- Atlantic integration and a key donor in the country’s transition to democracy and market economy.
Albania’s affection to the U.S. started after World War I when former President Woodrow Wilson stood up to support Albania’s independence to prevent any further partition of Albanian territories.
The two countries re-established diplomatic relations on March 15, 1991, after a break of 52 years following World War II and Albania’s isolation under communism.
President George W. Bush was the first sitting American President to visit Albania on 10 June 2007.
