Un'immigrazione qualificata e in attesa di riconoscimento

This essay aims to show the specific case of Albanian immigration in Lombardy Region, whose members have had a particular history in their settlement in Lombardy and in Italy, in general. It presents the results of twenty in-depth-interviews realised in 2001 to Albanians immigrants, entrepreneurs, head of associations, social operators and experts in some Provinces of Lombardy (Milan, Bergamo, Brescia Varese, and Pavia). The essay reconstructs the phases of arrival and stabilization of Albanians, characterised initially by the gain of labour and house and then the phase of discrimination, along with disqualification processes. It deeps, in particular, the two aspects of participation to the labour market (it reveals the trend to self-entrepreneurship) and of social integration. On this matter it explains the actions realised by the Albanian community in order to strengthen its reputation in Italians opinion. In the conclusions the Author underlines the role of local societies in migration policies, in particular, for the useful contribution of ethnic networks, preference relations with organisations helping immigrants, Immigration and Territorial Councils. Noting that, nevertheless, often it happens that these organisms, especially the public ones, does not work and does not produce the results waited, about planning immigrants entries and their successive social integration. Job centres, for example, rarely have a significant role in allowing immigrants occupations and this determines an increase of social alarm and criminality in local communities. In this case it is underlined how, in planning new entries, qualitative aspects, more then the quantitative ones, have to be considered (to help firms to select workers on the basis of their needs and to promote initiatives of professional training abroad).