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Great News: The agreement between Albania and Canada regarding pensions has been ratified
and will enter into force on August 1, 2022. [1] The Agreement on Social Security Agreement
between Canada and the Republic of Albania was firstly signed on April 30, 2019, in Ottawa,
Canada and it was said that it will enter into force once both countries have completed their legal
procedures[2], now finally the time has come.

What is this Agreement and How can you benefit from it?

According to the Albanian Foreign Minister, Mrs. Olta Xhaçka, this agreement gives the citizens
of both countries the right to enjoy all the benefits of their contributions. [3] The agreement on
mutual recognition of social security helps Albanian and Canadian citizens living and working in
their respective countries, coordinating payments and benefits according to the public pension
plans of the two countries.

In simpler words, if you have spent most of your working years in Albania, have immigrated to
Canada, and have concerns regarding the recognition of all these years of your social security
contributions in Albania, this will no longer be a problem. Due to the Social Security Agreement
between Canada and the Republic of Albania, all social contributions during your working years
in Albania, will be valid and calculated in your Canadian pension. 

Many people, would hesitate to immigrate in the middle of their career, knowing that all their
working years will go waste, and this was surely a great barrier. Today, this barrier is no longer
there.

Even if you are young and a new worker, it is still a benefit in knowing that in those few months
or years that you managed to work and pay your social security contributions in Albania, such
contributions are recognized and will serve you again in Canada, where you are starting a new
chapter of your life.

There is yet another positive aspect of this important agreement between Albania and Canada.
People who already immigrated or are looking forward to their opportunities of immigrating to
Canada but want to return and spend their senior years in Albania; or people who spent their
working years in Albania and are considering moving to Canada, this agreement is of great help.
Now there is no need for a series of bureaucratic processes or a pile of paperwork, the social
security contributions, paid in each of the respective countries, will be easily calculated in the
end, in your social payment as a pensioner.

In conclusion, this new agreement makes the life of Albanian immigrants in Canada easier and
more convenient than ever. If the recognition of all your years of social security contributions
was an important factor holding you back from immigrating to Canada, now that barrier has
gone. The best time to take the first step toward the Canadian dream is now!

References:

  [1] See, Albania-Canada sign agreement on pensions recognition, Albanian Daily
News. https://albaniandailynews.com/news/albania-canada-sign-agreement-on-pensions-
recognition
[2] See, Republic of Albania – Pensions, and
Benefits. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/cpp-
international/albania.html
[3] See, Mrs.Olta Xhaçka’s statement on her social
platform. https://www.facebook.com/xhackaolta/posts/pfbid02u8uArCc8u2yRQUcgyXrhDJGY1
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