Immigrants in Bulgaria

When I first arrived in Bulgaria last September I was extremely surprised to find out that 3 Afghanis were living in our apartment building (a father and two sons). Turned out that they own the small store selling fruits and vegetables across the street. Since then I have learned that they moved to Bulgaria 7 years ago, but I don't know any further details. From time to time I do wonder how they made their way over here and why they decided on Bulgaria in particular. One never thinks of Bulgaria as a place one wants to move to. We (Bulgarians) always think of it as a place we want to get away from. But I believe that that has begun to change and will probably change even more rapidly in the future. Especially given our entry into the EU. Coining Bulgaria as an EU country makes it a lot more attractive to potential immigrants from Asian and African countries for example. Personally, I am looking forward to having more immigrants enter the country. For one, Bulgaria needs more diversity of people. I have missed the diversity of the U.S. in that respect. Also, I am often saddened and even shocked by how intolerant Bulgarians tend to be in general. Having never really had to have much to do with other races, many people disdain and offend without having a clue as to what they are talking about or any personal experience whatsoever. (And I am not even going to get into the debate regarding the Turkish population in Bulgaria. Suffice it to say that I just can't stand people talking negatively of Turks when they have never spoken to a Turk in their lives, let alone had any further interaction.) It is high time we learned to be more tolerant and that we accept the fact that Bulgaria is not only for Bulgarians (just like we have emigrated en masse to countries all over the globe). Especially given the significant lack of both qualified and unqualified labor, I think soon we will also need immigrants for economic reasons (not only for the socio-cultural ones I named above).

Personally, I am really interested to see what the developments in this area will be. Don't know about you. Will more people immigrate to Bulgaria? What countries will they come from, if so?

What is your take on potential increased immigration to Bulgaria? Or about immigration in general? What countries do you think immigrants to Bulgaria will come from? (My guess is some from former Soviet republics, but more from South Asian coutries, like Pakistan, Afghanistan, India). I know this could be an expansive topic... but would be great to hear even quick thoughts :)