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Requests for asylum are increasing after the liberalization of visas in Kosovo

Politiko 2024-11-13 15:51:23

"Whoever comes out last, let him stop the lights"... Comments like this accompanied the news that Kosovars would be able to travel visa-free through the countries of the Schengen area from January 1 of this year. Since April last year, when this news broke, visa liberalization had been viewed with concern by non-governmental organizations in Kosovo, who worried that the "brain drain" could worsen.

The Institute for Advanced Studies, GAP, reported that nearly 30 percent of Kosovo's citizens planned to emigrate from the country after visa liberalization. Although problems in the labor market, the cause of emigration, have not increased as much as many NGOs have warned, data from the EU Statistics Office, Eurostat, show that there has been an increase in the number of asylum applications in the EU .

From January to July of this year, an average of over 550 Kosovars have sought asylum in European countries every month. This figure is significantly higher than the average in the past six years. There were more requests for asylum only in 2015/2016 when tens of thousands of Kosovars immigrated to the EU through the illegal routes of Hungary.

In the first seven months of this year alone, a total of 3,950 asylum applications were made - significantly more than during the entire year in the previous four years. The highest number of asylum requests this year was recorded in May, when a total of 765 requests were made. Most of them were made in France.

France has been the main destination of Kosovars seeking asylum in the EU since 2018, when for the first time it took the place of Germany as the main destination. Germany has been targeted by many Kosovars in recent years, due to the simplified procedures for employment. But, since the procedures allow obtaining a work visa through a lottery, these people are not included in the asylum requests.

Since Germany does not allow dual citizenship - except in some cases - it remains the main country for which Kosovars give up their Kosovo citizenship. However, the data published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo show that the number of requests for release from citizenship has been decreasing throughout the year 2024. While the requests for release from Kosovo citizenship were decreasing, the number of travelers at the International Airport of Pristina increased significantly.

With numerous offers from tourist agencies and without the need to apply for a visa, many Kosovars took advantage of the opportunity to travel to the Schengen area, which consists of 29 European countries. The number of travelers through air transport in Kosovo has increased compared to last year, but the growth trend has started in previous years as well.

Various non-governmental organizations and state institutions, in some cases, have emphasized the need for Kosovars to respect the conditions of visa-free travel. The liberalization allows visa-free travel for only up to 90 days - within six months - in any of the 29 member states of the Schengen area.

Visa-free travel must be for tourist visits, family or similar matters, and business or other benefits. On the contrary, the European Union has in hand the so-called Visa Suspension Mechanism. With this mechanism, a non-EU country, such as Kosovo, can be temporarily suspended from the exemption from visas, if it misuses.

There are four scenarios where the Visa Suspension Mechanism would be activated: So far, the EU has not expressed concern about increased migration or asylum requests from Kosovo, nor have organizations representing businesses from Kosovo expressed concern that workers are flee en masse./REL