Ndoci, R. and Karatsareas, P. 2026. From naturalization to new mobilities: Greek citizenship and the onward migration of Albanians to the UK on the eve of Brexit. in: Guardamagna, C., Hampton, J., Roccia, M. and Sredanovic, D. (ed.) European Migrants in the UK in the Brexit Era London Routledge.
| Chapter title | From naturalization to new mobilities: Greek citizenship and the onward migration of Albanians to the UK on the eve of Brexit |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ndoci, R. and Karatsareas, P. |
| Editors | Guardamagna, C., Hampton, J., Roccia, M. and Sredanovic, D. |
| Abstract | In this chapter, we explore the experiences of Albanians who were born in Albania, raised in Greece and onward migrated to the United Kingdom while the UK was still a member-state of the European Union, offering free movement rights that have since ceased. Drawing on focus group discussions, we examine how participants made sense of acquiring Greek citizenship not only as a right earned through long-term residence and education but also as a strategic resource that enabled further mobility. Their acquisition of Greek passports between 2016 and 2020 occurred amidst intense anti-immigration campaigns and the unfolding Brexit negotiations, a turbulent context that shaped their decisions. We show that, while naturalisation granted legal rights, it did not shield participants from racialization or institutional discrimination in Greece. Instead, many described Greek bureaucracy and state migration policies as dehumanizing and exclusionary, experiences that shaped their decision to onward migrate and their subsequent plans for family reunification, including bringing their parents from Greece to the UK. In contrast, life in the UK was described in terms of relief and dignity, with participants highlighting the efficiency of British institutions. This transition gave them space to reflect on their identities and the structural injustices they had previously normalized. We argue that onward migration acted as a catalyst for processing past traumas, reassessing social belonging, and articulating new forms of self-understanding shaped by shared migratory experiences and a search for inclusion beyond the confines of national identity. Our chapter therefore sheds light on a significant pathway of intra-European mobility that flourished before Brexit, highlighting why such onward migration from Greece to the UK has now largely come to a halt. |
| Keywords | onward migration |
| citizenship | |
| Albania | |
| Greece | |
| Book title | European Migrants in the UK in the Brexit Era |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Place of publication | London |