A documentary about migration from Albania to the UK will appear on KMTV tonight.

It will be investigating why people are still making the dangerous journey, and uncovering why so many look for a life elsewhere.

In 2022 there was a spike in people from Albania travelling across the English Channel in small boats.

Two years on, KMTV’s Isabelle Miller has directed a documentary, alongside the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, speaking to those who risked their lives by travelling to Kent to work in cannabis farms or reunite with their family.

Small boat arrivals from Albania were down 90% in 2023, and since July 2021, the UK has returned more than 8,500 Albanian nationals who have committed criminal and immigration offences, including some who crossed the Channel illegally.

Now with a higher chance of being sent back, some are instead using illegal documents or lorries, still determined to make a life in the UK.

Almost half of Albanians live abroad, and some say hope is lost to the state of the economy and corruption throughout the Balkan country.

Others, however, are expecting a bright future for Albania and see true potential in the growing efforts to uplift the nation.

Albania: Why do we go from here? will be airing on KMTV this evening (October 26th), Freeview 7, Virgin 159.