The modern history of Albanians in the UK begins in the early 20th century when a small group of Albanians arrived in the country. Among them was one of the greatest Albanian intellectuals, Faik Konica, who settled in London, where he began publishing the magazine "Albania". Just shortly after World War II, there were about 100 Albanians in Britain. Most of them were from Albania, while very few were from Kosovo.
The 1991 census shows that there were only 338 Albanians registered in England. By 1993, the figure had risen to 2,500. Most of them were young Kosovars avoiding recruitment into the Yugoslav Army and had sought political asylum.
In June 1996, a Supreme Court decision acknowledged that Kosovo Albanians were persecuted in the former Yugoslavia. This meant that all Kosovo Albanians had to be given a residence permit in Britain. Following this decision, Britain faced a large and unexpected influx of Albanians from Kosovo, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. At the end of 1997, there were about 30,000 Albanians living in Britain.