Albanians continue to top the list of deportations from the United Kingdom, according to figures published by the Home Office. Official British data show that 2,247 Albanian nationals were returned during the past 12 months, while other reporting points to a much higher cost in specific repatriation cases involving private aircraft.
Albania again ranks first for deportations
According to the Home Office, 2,247 Albanians without permission to remain were deported in the period from October 2025 to October 2026. With this figure, Albanians rank first, ahead of Romanians, Brazilians, Indians and Poles.
According to the official British version, this is the fifth consecutive time that Albanians have topped the list for the number of people deported from England, an indicator that keeps open the debate not only on illegal immigration, but also on how London is handling the Albanian file through large-scale return measures.
Most, according to the Home Office, were criminal offenders
The Home Office claims that most of the 2,247 Albanians returned were people convicted of various criminal offences. According to the same institution, these individuals were repatriated on special flights after serving 40% of their sentence.
Another claim by the British authorities is that 80% of them had been convicted for involvement in cocaine sales. This remains part of the Home Office’s official narrative, which for some time has placed the Albanian community at the centre of its rhetoric on immigration and crime.
Albanians also make up the largest share of asylum-related returns
According to the Home Office, Albanian nationals make up the largest nationality group among people returned under asylum-related procedures. Up to March 2026, they accounted for 24% of all such returns, or 2,831 people.
The figure is also linked to the wave of arrivals in 2022, when more than 12,000 Albanians crossed the English Channel in dinghies to enter England. The Home Office says that during 2025, 53% of the total number of people deported from this category were Albanian.
From £5,000 to £22,000 per person
The cost of deportations varies widely, depending on the operation. According to official British data, from February 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026, a total of 2,835 migrants were transported by air out of the United Kingdom at a total cost of £13.8 million, or about £5,000 per person.
But a report by The Telegraph points to another level of spending: the deportation of 47 Albanians on a private Airbus 321 cost the Home Office £22,000 for each person. The gap between the average cost and special cases shows that repatriation operations are not only a political and security issue, but also a considerable burden on British public funds.
42 charter flights to Albania alone
A Home Office spokesperson has said that more than 80,000 migrants who entered illegally and foreign nationals convicted of crimes have been returned since the July 2024 election, claiming a 41% increase.
In the same period, Albania was the country with the highest number of charter flights: 42 leased planes were used to return 1,810 migrants who, according to British authorities, had entered illegally or had committed criminal offences. The figures confirm that the Albanian file remains a particular priority in London’s deportation policies.
Data published by the British authorities show a strong focus on Albanian nationals, both in asylum procedures and in deportation operations.
Beyond the Home Office’s harsh rhetoric, the cost figures and the scale of charter flights also highlight the financial dimension of this policy, which is ultimately paid for by British taxpayers.