A migrant who traveled illegally from Albania to the UK has claimed that his life became 'unbearable' after he started working at a cannabis farm.
GZIM made the trip to the UK via a small boat in 2022 – one of the more than 12,600 Albanians to make the treacherous journey that year.
The migrant, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC that he found a smuggler on the social media platform Tiktok who agreed to help him make the journey to England.
He claimed that his cousins paid the smuggler £ 3,500 for him to cross the channel via a small boat after he had already arrived in Dunkirk.
After he had received accommodation in a hotel, the migrant said that he could leave without a notification and worked at the cannabis farm.
“I knew the risks of these kinds of things, but I hoped I wouldn't be out of luck,” he said.
The farm was broken into, which means that the employees were not paid, the migrant claimed.
GZIM then switched to a building role in which he was forced to accept a lower wage – not enough to finance his life and that of the loved ones he left in Albania.
GZIM made the trip to the UK via a small boat in 2022 in the hope of a better life (stock photo)
A group of people who are migrants are brought in to Dover, knows, from a border weather ship after a small boot incident in the canal (file image)
Five months after his arrival at the UK, the migrant said that life became so 'unbearable' that he decided to return to Albania.
“I dreamed of other things. I hoped I would make it, “he said.
In 2024, the number of Albanian nationals that made the risky journey only fell to only 616 people – after a campaign by Albanian and British governments.
Since then, the British government has re -launched a social media campaign in an attempt to warn Albanians that illegally come in for possible hardships with which they would be confronted in the UK.
The Histori NGA Britania (Stories from Britain) series is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of a £ 3.75 million campaign to disrupt 'irregular Albanian migration', the I paper reported last month.
The campaign contains photos of a gray, depressing looking country meant to paint the UK in the worst possible light and Albanian migrants discourage.
Shutters in stores remain closed, estates look tired and need a lick of paint, antisocial behavior nails looming over open trays.
In messages on Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok, Albanian immigrants in the UK discuss the challenges of life here.
The Histori NGA Britania (Stories from Britain) series shows images of gloomy looking estates that are designed to take care of Albanian migrants again
In the videos, Albanians discuss how expensive the UK is, the discrimination with which they are confronted and how impossible it is to do something without a visa.
A message from a bearded Albanian man on Facebook contains the caption: 'You can't do anything without a visa. You can't get a house, you can't start a job, you can't do anything.
'Having a visa makes us live a little differently. If we suffer from a visa, imagine how much you suffer if you are here without a visa. '
The social media campaign was checked by TAG International, an international development consultancy firm established in Westminster, De I Paper reported.
A government spokesperson said earlier: 'This account is not run by the British government and the views that promote individuals from the Albanian diaspora and those who have returned to Albania.
“Tackling irregular migration and protecting the boundaries of Great Britain is a priority for this government.”
