The data used for the purpose of this article was obtained from the Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom. Visa application includes any visa application made by citizens of a particular country, such as for family reunification, for studies, for work, for business, for visiting, etc.
In 2022, it emerges that 36,760 Albanians applied for a visa in the United Kingdom, which is the highest figure for the entire 2005-2022 period under consideration. In fact, 45.5% more Albanian citizens applied for a visa in the UK in 2022, compared to 2021.
We notice that, after 2014, the upwards trend continues, 2020 excluded.
For 18 years (2005-2022), the visa was approved for 154,759 Albanian applicants by the United Kingdom.
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
In 2022, a number of 25,688 visas were issued to Albanians coming from the Republic of Albania, which is more than any other year. Meanwhile, 13,141 applicants have received a negative UK visa response and 148 people have withdrawn their application.
The approval rate over the years has fluctuated between 61-77% for Albanians. During 2022, the visa approval rate from the United Kingdom for Albanians is 66%, with an increase of 1 percentage point from last year. The progress over the years shows that 7 out of 10 Albanian citizens who apply for a British visa receive a positive feedback.
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
For a better comparative approach, a 5-year period, 2018-2022, has been taken under examination. For, this way, we can observe as the factors that have influenced the fluctuations during a given year, become less important in the 5-year period.
In the five-year period, 2018-2022, the United Kingdom has approved visas for 69,895 Albanian citizens. During this time, 33,389 Albanian citizens were refused visas, while 479 citizens withdrew their application.
Considering borth, Approved and Rejected Visa Applications, it turns out that Albania is the 20th country in the world with the highest number of UK visa applications during 2018-2022. As far as approved visas are concerned, Albania is 21st in the world, with the highest number. On the other hand, Albania is the 10th country with the highest number of visas refused by the United Kingdom during the same five-year period, 2018-2022.
India has the highest number of Approved and Rejected visas.
Table: Country ranking by number of UK Visas Granted, five-year total 2018-2022
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Table: Ranking of Countries by Number of Visas Refusedby the United Kingdom, Five-Year Total 2018-2022
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Table: Ranking Total Applications for Visas in UK, by countries, total 2018-2022
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
The Total Approvals and Refusals ratio to the number of population of each country, shows that Albania is the leader for visa applications per capita in the United Kingdom, compared to all other countries in the world. Albanians who have applied for visas in the 2018-2022 years in the United Kingdom make up 3.7% of the total population of Albania. Albania is followed by Bahrain, which has a lower ratio (2.7% of the population have applied for a visa in the UK), Saint Kitts and Nevis (2.2%). Kosovo ranks 7th in the world (1.3% of the population have applied for a visa in the UK) in terms of Visa Applications in the UK to the number of population ratio.
Table: Ranking of World Countries, Ratio of Total UK Visa Applications to the number of people of each country, five-year 2018-2022 total
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Open Data Albania has calculated the Visa Approval rate from the United Kingdom, for the 2018-2022 period, for all countries in the world. In order to make the most representative analysis and not be affected by the problem of statistical significance, the countries that have more than 5,000 applications (Visas approved + rejected) were taken into consideration for comparison. In total there are 105 nationalities that have exceeded 5,000 UK Visa applications in the five-year 2018-2022 period.
The United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Kuwait, and Qatar are the 4 countries with the highest UK Visa Approval rate (99% of applications are approved). Albania is ranked 92 out of 105 countries in terms of UK visa approval rate (67.7% Approvals). This means that citizens from the other 91 countries of the world have a higher probability of receiving a positive response if they apply for a visa in the UK, compared to Albanians.
Table: UK Visa Approval Rate Ranking, by country, nationalities with more than 5000 applications during the five-year period 2018-2022
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Albania has the lowest Visa approval rate in Great Britain, compared to other countries in the Region, during the five-year 2018-2022 period. Serbia has the highest rate, with 95.9% of its citizens having applied for a British visa, receiving an approval. Montenegro follows with 95.3% positive responses, followed by Bosnia & Herzegovina with 94.4% and North Macedonia with 92.4%.
Kosovo is has a weak track, with 77% of applications approved, and Albania is the last with only 67.7% of applications receving a positive feedback.
Regarding the number of visa applications in the UK, Albanians prevail in the Western Balkans, with 87,912 applications during January 2018-September 2022. Serbia follows with 47,551 applications. At the end, Montenegro ranks with 4,873 applications.
Source: Office for National Statistics, UK
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Albania has a Visa Approval rate (67.7%) from the United Kingdom lower than the average of all countries in the world, which is 85.5%. UK visa approval rate for all foreign nationals fluctuates from 81.5% in 2007 to 89% in 2017.
Download excel: British Visas: Applications from Albanian Citizens and Approval Rate, Comparative view with the Region and the WorldComments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Contributed by: Ilir Brasha
Translated by: Rezarta Cushaj
