The counsellor at the Embassy of Albania in Ottawa provided the following information in a 7 March 2002 telephone interview.

Albanians in Albania are required to have employment booklets which contain their employment records. The employment book is provided to them at the time they are first employed. The employer writes the date of employment the booklet, files the document and returns it to the departing employee after filling in the date of departure. Subsequent employers apply the same procedure. The booklet may also contain the job title and the wage/salary paid to the employee.

The counsellor at the Embassy of Albania could not provide information on the booklet's format since the embassy did not have one in its possession. However, he stated that the employment booklet may have changed in appearance and content after the fall of the Communist government.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Embassy of Albania, Ottawa. 7 March 2002. Telephone interview with counsellor.