HOW AN ASYLUM PROCESS WORKS AND ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

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HOW AN ASYLUM PROCESS WORKS AND ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Who is an an asylum seeker and how does the asylum process work? If you have never been one, you may never know the stringent process and rules that is needed to follow to be guaranteed a stay in another country that is not your birthplace.

However, this blog post is very important for those hoping to seek asylum, those already seeking asylum and anyone in a position to inform anybody who needs to be guided with the right information to do the right thing. Knowledge is power! so keep reading.

According to Wikipedia, an asylum seeker is a person who flees their home country, enters another country and applies for asylum, i.e. the right to international protection, in this other country. An asylum seeker is a type of migrant and may be a refugee, a displaced person, but not an economic migrant.

Asylum can be granted to people who are unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a
particular social group or political opinion.

By December 2017, UNHCR had counted over 1,000,000 asylum applications in 37 European countries (including both EU members and non-members).
As of 2017, 55% of refugees worldwide came from three nations: South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria. Of all displaced peoples, 17% of them are being hosted in Europe.

Please read: Beliefs about immigration in Italy, True or False?

Below are some of the frequently asked questions about asylum and refugee issues in Italy.

 

1.WHO CAN APPLY FOR A REFUGEE STATUS

You can apply for refugee status if, in your home country you were directly and personally persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, or if there is a well-founded and proved reason to hold that you may be persecuted in case you return to your home country (incompliance with the Geneva Convention).

2. WHO CANNOT APPLY FOR A REFUGEE STATUS

You cannot submit your application for refugee status in Italy if:
■ You have already obtained refugee status in another State;
■ You come from a State, other than that of your origin, that adheres to the Geneva Convention and where you stayed for a
certain period of time but never applied for the refugee status;
■ You have already been convicted in Italy of a crime against the State or State security, a crime against public security, or one of the following crimes: reduction to slavery, theft, robbery vandalism and pillage, or a crime connected with the selling of and illegal trafficking in weapons and narcotics. The same applies also if you have been convicted of the crime of association with Mafia or for belonging to terrorist organizations.
■ You have committed war crimes or crimes against peace and humanity.

3.WHERE CAN I APPLY?
You can apply
a. With the Italian Border Police Office on arrival.
b. With the Immigration Office of the locally competent Questura (Provincial Police headquarters) if in the place where you entered Italy there is no Border Police Office.

Please read; Ten things to know before moving to Italy

4. HOW CAN I APPLY?

You can apply with the Police Office where you will receive ad hoc
forms in which you will have to:

■ State the reasons why you are applying for refugee status;
■ Provide any other information and documents necessary for supporting your application.
■ Attach a copy of a valid personal ID document (passport, ID card,
etc.), if you have any, or provide personal details to Police Authorities by indicating an address where your correspondence is to be sent to. The Questura will provide you with a copy of your application and of any documents you have produced and will take your photo and fingerprints.

5. WHO DECIDES ON YOUR APPLICATION?

The Questura will immediately send the application, together with the necessary enclosed documents, to the competent Commissione Territoriale per il Riconoscimento dello Status di Rifugiato(Territorial Commission for the recognition of refugee status). This Commission will decide whether to grant you the refugee status or not.

There are 7 Commissions in Italy (Gorizia, Milan, Rome, Foggia, Siracusa, Crotone and Trapani). The Questura will send a notice to the address indicated in your application, specifying the date of the summoning at the Commission. It is important that you always inform the Questura of any changes in domicile in order to receive all the correspondence. Remember that it is very important for you to appear before the Commission. In fact the interview will give you the opportunity to better explain your situation and the reasons why you fear persecution. If you do not appear before the Commission, they can decide on your application only by examining the available documents without listening to you.

6. WHAT DECISION CAN THE COMMISSION TAKE?

The Territorial Commission will take the decision on your application
within 3 days of the interview. They can decide one of the following:

✓ Grant you the refugee status.
✓ Reject your application, but even if you don’t meet the requirements for obtaining refugee status, the Commission can independently assess the dangerousness of your repatriation and ask the Questore to issue you a residence permit for humanitarian protection. This permit is valid for one year, is renewable and will allow you to work.
✓ Reject your application and will order you to leave the
national territory.

7. WHAT IF I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SPEAK ITALIAN

If you don’t speak Italian, you can ask for an interpreter or a cultural mediator in filling in and writing out, if possible, in your language or in one of the most common languages (ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH and ARABIC) – the information form and the statements concerning the reasons for your application.

8. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER APPLYING?

When the Police Authorities ascertain that the documents submitted are the right ones, the Questore of the province where the application was submitted issues a residence permit valid for three months, which is renewable until the Competent Territorial Commission decides on the case.

If you have arrived in Italy without ID papers stating your nationality and personal data, or if your application for refugee
status recognition is based on elements that need to be verified, you will be hosted in one of the Identification Centres for a maximum of 20 days. If within that time your application has not been examined by the Competent Territorial Commission yet, you will be entitled to leave the centre and will be given a residence permit valid for three months and renewable until the Competent Territorial Commission decides on the case.

If you don’t have means of subsistence, you can ask the competent Prefettura, through the Police Authorities where you applied, to be hosted in a municipal reception centre for the whole period of examination of your application for refugee status.

9. THINGS TO KNOW WHILE AT THE IDENTIFICATION CENTER:

✓ You will be guaranteed urgent ambulatory and hospital treatments;
✓ You will be allowed to receive, under no members, your lawyer, the UNHCR and any other organizations or bodies for refugees’ protection recognized by the Italian Ministry of the Interior;
✓ You are not forced to remain at the Centre during the day, except during night-time, of course under the
rules set by the body running the Centre. You can also ask the official in charge of the Centre to be away over an extended period of time beyond the time set by the Centre’s rules – because of special reasons(family, health)
✓ Non-authorized and unjustified exit from the Centre for a prolonged period is tantamount to your renunciation of your application for refugee status.

10.WHAT CAN YOU DO TO APPEAL AGAINST THE REJECTION OF YOUR
APPLICATION?

If you are hosted in an Identification Centre, you can – within 5 days of the rejection of your application – make an appeal to the President of the Territorial Commission, asking for your application to be re-examined. The appeal has to be based on new elements emerged after the decision of the Commission or on facts existing before but not considered by the Commission. The request for review will be decided on within 15 days. In any case, within 15 days of notification of the
rejection of your application by the Commission, you can appeal to the Ordinary Court of Law with territorial jurisdiction (if you are abroad you can do it through the Italian diplomatic representation). In both cases, you can request the Prefetto (Prefect) of the province where you live to allow you to remain in the national territory until the decision on your appeal. You’ll be notified of the Prefetto’s decision within 5 days of the request and, in case your request is accepted, you will be informed of the conditions of your stay in Italy

11.WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE GRANTED THE REFUGEE STATUS?

The Commission will grant you the refugee status and give you a card proving you’ve been granted the refugee status. Together with the card, the Questura will give you a travel document allowing you to go abroad and return to Italy (this travel document has the same validity period of the residence permit). In order to get identity documents, you’ll have to go to the Comune (Town Council) in your place of residence, you will be entitled to a residence permit valid for two years, you will have the same rights and duties as Italian citizens, only except some rights ensuing from the Italian citizenship (for example: the right to vote, to take part in competitions for public jobs, etc.).

A must read: The new anti-immigration law in Italy

If you need to obtain some certificates or documents from your home country to exercise a right in Italy, the Italian authorities will help you obtain them, or will issue certificates or documents substituting in every respect the official documents of your home country.

You absolutely cannot go back to your home country. If it happens, that could in fact cause the cessation of your refugee status because it would be considered as a manifestation of your will to avail yourself again of the protection of your country of origin. Likewise, any application for a passport at the diplomatic representation of your country in Italy will be considered as your will to avail yourself of the protection of your home country.

The personal document given to you by the Questura will allow you to travel abroad for a period not exceeding three months, without visa requirement. If you need to reside abroad for a longer period, for example for employment reasons, you have to apply for a visa at the diplomatic representation of the country you are planning to go, then you can start the procedure for the “transfer of responsibility” to that new State which will host you.

Applying for asylum is not for everyone as it requires you to meet a certain criteria as we have read from this post. For those who have applied and waiting for a positive result, I wish you the best of luck, and for those who had their applications rejected please, I want you to cheer up, it is not the end of the world.

Please read: A Nigerian commits suicide in Italy

This article is an edited extract of the guide book: Staying in Italy legally by the Ministry of the Interior.

I would like to hear from you: What are your thoughts on this subject. You can share your thoughts and experiences with me and others in the comments section below!

It is hard to continue writing post like this without contributions from readers like you. If you enjoy reading this and find it useful, please consider making a donation. Your donation will help encourage and support us to continue on our work to support migrants with free educative post and trainings. Kindly support us today.

Subscribe to the MigrantDigest newsletter & receive updates & tips on news, jobs, finance, entertainment and free trainings.

PLUS, you’ll get instant free E Book on staying in Italy legally, delivered to your email! This E Book is guaranteed to help you to be informed of the existing rules to live a better life and to co exist better with Italians. It only takes a few seconds! Sign up below at the footer.

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE LOOKING FOR A JOB AS A MIGRANT IN ITALY

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THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE LOOKING FOR A JOB AS A MIGRANT IN ITALY

So you finally made it to Italy or the republic of Italy as it is known, congratulations! This can somehow be counted as an achievement for many considering that a number of migrants have died while trying to come to Europe. Theguardian estimates about 34,361 people have died and rising not only deaths at sea, but also in detention blocks, asylum units, factories and town centers in an attempt to get a better life, scary!

As one of the founding members of the EU, Italy is historically, culturally and religiously rich and it is home to 54 World Heritage Sites which are either of the natural (5) type or cultural(49), the most in the world, and is quite popular making it the fifth-most visited country in the world.

Now that you are here and have decided to make Italy your home, you would need a job to keep up with your expenses like food, accommodation, light and gas bills, transportation and others. It is estimated that the monthly expense per individual in Italy is about 1000 Euros/month, that is according to rickzullo, although this may varied from city to city, I suggest that you can use Expatistan, a living cost calculator that allows you to compare the cost of living between cities around the world with a better understanding of the cost of living of any city in Italy.

Finding a job is not quite an easy task to accomplish couple with the fact that there are many unemployed migrants and citizens alike who will be struggling for the same or kind of job you want puts you in a rather precarious situation. According to Tradingeconomics.com, the number of unemployed persons in Italy increased to 2719.05 thousand in January of 2019 from 2703.90 thousand in December of 2018 out of a population of approximately 60 million according to worldometers

So what are the things I must consider before looking for a  job or what are the things I should know before starting my job hunt even if its temporary before I can find my feet in Italy?

Let’s Go!

1. BE LEGAL

Job

This is the beginning of your job hunt in Italy. It is important to stress that if your been in Italy is illegal, it is impossible to find a job or at least to find a legal one. The legal status of a foreign national that enjoys international protection may be that of an Asylum seeker or refugee. There is also the economic migrant and regular migrant. While illegal migrants include irregular migrants or clandestine, displaced persons or stateless person.

Read: Understanding asylum, refugee, migrant, displaced person, stateless person. Subsidiary protection

All non-European Union (EU) nationals who plan to stay in Italy for a period of more than three months must apply for a residence or sojourn permit (permesso di soggiorno) within eight days of their entry into Italy. Holders of residence permits are entitled to the same benefits as nationals, including “access to schooling, medical and social assistance,” for as long as the permit is valid. There are different types of temporary resident permits issued by the police(questura), so it is important to know the type that you have and what it can do for you. You also have the permanent resident permit(Carta di Soggiorno) for long-term residents. Most employers will require some documents from you like your carta identita which is your form of id card, your codice fiscale(Tax code) and permesso sorggiono with is your permit of stay in the country. This is quite important because it is needed to prepare your work contract no matter how short it may be.

2. UNDERSTAND A LITTLE OF ITALIAN.

Learning a new language is not such a bad thing especially when you are likely not to find many English speakers around. While to become an expert in Italian speaking and writing is not a priority and a must to find a job in Italy, depending on the kind of job you are looking for here, it is fair to say it helps to a large extent if you understand a little of Italian like the basics I think. Soon, you would discover that you need it in your everyday life not just for work only. Communication is key, the better you understand what you are been asked to do the better you can do it well and it is safe to say, life becomes much easier for you too.

To learn Italian in public schools is quite cheap and affordable about 30 Euros. You may need to attend classes for a few months to about a year depending on your Italian language level but do not worry, the time and days for the classes are usually very flexible. You would find a public school virtually in every city or in the community you live, feel free to walk in there to ask when the classes opens.

In addition to going to school, there are a number of apps you can download on your phone to teach your self how to read, speak and understand the Italian language. I personally recommend DUOLINGO, it is free and the best around for now. You should try it too.

3.TAKE A COURSE

Waiting for that job could take longer than expected, while waiting why not take a course? There is a long list of training courses for various fields, including mechanics, IT, tourism, food, social and health professions, you can take while you are here in Italy.

ENAIP (National Agency ACLI Formazione Professionale) is an Italian training institution recognized as a moral body and accredited by the Ministry of Labor. It works to provide professional training and technical assistance for public and contract financing of companies or private associations. Again will recommend that you get in touch with the nearest ENAIP closest to you to find out the courses available for you.

4.PREPARE YOUR PERFECT CV

European CV

Because you are here in Italy and will most certainly use your curriculum here for your job hunt, it is expected that you have your CV translated to Italian except you are applying for an English speaking job or the advertiser for the job request you not to do so. There are some basic CV etiquettes that you must follow which maybe be quite different from the ones that you are used to, for example it’s particularly important in Italy to put your date of birth at the top of your CV.

A good CV should also be accompanied by a good cover letter. This sometimes set you apart especially from thousands of job seekers who may consider this not to be important. I will recommend that you employ the services of a professional to handle your CV and cover letter write-up to stand out from the crowd. I will suggest MIGRANTDIGEST who also handle the services of CV and cover letter write up if you live in Italy.

5.START NETWORKING AND  USE JOBPORTALS

One of the sure rest but slowest way to get a job in Italy is by recommendation. This works in a way whereby someone already working in a factory for example can recommend someone to his/her boss to fill up a vacant position that just opened up recently. While this is very efficient, it is quite slow and relies on luck and if you know someone that is in that position to do so. The traditional way of summiting your CVS to Recruiting Agency is still your best choice.

Summiting your CVs through online job portals like indeed.com or my personal favourite infojobs.it, requires some knowledge of computer skills and internet usage knowledge, you can employ the services of professionals like MIGRANTDIGEST who can help you with that or alternately you can drop your CVs by summiting your CVs personally to recruitment agencies by searching for the one nearest to you.

Also, it is also important to visit the center of employment(Centro per l’impiego) closest to you. They are a public administration office with the function of managing the labor market at the local level.

6.GET YOUR ITALIAN DRIVERS LICENCE

9 out 10 recruiting agencies you visit will ask you if you have a drivers license. The reason is simple for easy accessibility and promptness. It is not uncommon to find bus drivers going on strike in Italy. Also, it is because they want to know if distance would be a barrier to you getting the job or not. Some of these companies or factories are in the outskirt of cities without the reach of effective public transportation and too far for the use of bicycles which is a common means of transportation in Europe, so it becomes very important to consider to have one or to begin to make plans to obtain it.

But if you already have a valid drivers license, you can drive in Italy if you are from a country that is outside the EU for up to one year from the acquisition of residence if you have an international driving Permit or a sworn translation of the licence.

However, after the conclusion of the first year, it is mandatory to convert your license if there are reciprocity ties between your country issuing the drivers license and Italy.

To find out if your country has reciprocity ties with Italy, click HERE

You may need to understand a little of Italian for this because the test is usually in Italian, French or German. Since you are already taking lessons in Italian language, asking your teacher to guard you through some driving vocabularies may be of help to you. Also, you don’t need your Italian to be perfect before you can pass the exam, you just need to know Italian driving vocabularies, understand the road signs and a few others and you are good to go.

I would like to hear from you: What are your thoughts on this subject. You can share your thoughts and experiences with me and others in the comments section below!

It is hard to continue writing post like this without contributions from readers like you. If you enjoyed reading this and find it useful, please would you consider to make a donation of $2 or more, which is the price of your coffee! Your donation will help encourage and support us to continue on our work to support migrants with free educative post and trainings who can not afford subscriptions to get much needed information. Anyone can support us even YOU. Kindly support us today, it takes a few seconds, just click HERE to donate. Thank you!

Subscribe to the MigrantDigest newsletter & receive updates & tips on news, jobs, finance, entertainment and free trainings.

PLUS, you’ll get instant free E Book on staying in Italy legally, delivered to your email! This E Book is guaranteed to help you to be informed of the existing rules to live a better life and to co exist better with Italians. It only takes a few seconds! Sign up below at the footer.

YOU CAN OWN A HOME IN ITALY FOR JUST ONE EURO

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YOU CAN OWN A HOME IN ITALY FOR JUST ONE EURO

Oh yes, you can actually own a home for less than the price of coffee in a small hilltop town of Sambuca, Sicily in Italy.

The town announced last week that it is selling off old properties for €1 in hopes of saving the town from depopulation.

But in reality you will be required to sign up to spend upwards of €15,000 on renovating their new Sicilian homes, and to pay a security deposit of €5,000 only.

This offer apparently has caught a lot of attention outside Italy. “A businessman from New York just called me, saying he’s flying to Sicily tonight, and a very rich lady called from Dubai. She wouldn’t say her name or who she works for; she wants to buy all the dozens of €1 houses on sale. “The town’s deputy mayor, Giuseppe Cacopio, told CNN.

This is not the first time this kind of financial incentive has been used to bring back life to dying villages and towns in some parts of Italy and certainly would not be the last.

More than half of Italy’s small towns are destined to become deserted in the next few decades as their populations dwindle further.

TEN THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE MOVING TO ITALY

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TEN THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE MOVING TO ITALY

You want to live in Italy, but where to start? Relocation coach Damien O’Farrell, who has spent 30 years helping foreigners make the move, runs through the top ten must-knows on his checklist.

1. Be legal.

This is so important, especially if you are a non-EU citizen. After the 90 days allowed by the visa waiver programme or tourist visa, if you stay in Italy without the proper documents you are illegal – regardless of your nationality. Please make sure you obtain the relevant visa before moving permanently to Italy, since visas are not issued in Italy: you must go to the nearest Italian consulate in your country of origin or residency to obtain it.

EU citizens, meanwhile, should register as Italian residents at the town hall within 90 days of relocating to Italy. As part of the free movement of people within the EU, citizens of 27 other European countries have the right to live and work in Italy automatically. However, if an EU citizen does not have a job, the town hall where you request your residency is perfectly within its rights to ask for proof of self-sufficiency concerning financial means.

2. Start networking.

Unless you are moving to Italy as part of an intracompany transfer or a retiree, you will probably need to work. There are a lot of opportunities in the IT sector, but sectors that traditionally once yielded jobs, like banking, are laying off people like there is no tomorrow. It is a good idea to network with Italian headhunters on LinkedIn who specialize in the sector in which you would like to work.

3. Be prepared for the cost of living.

Unless you choose to live in a small town, life in major markets like Rome or Milan can be expensive, especially if you want to live on your own. Expect to pay at least €850 for a small apartment in a big city. Considering the average salary is €1,200, living on your own can be a challenge, and you will probably need a second job.

4. Weigh the pros and cons of the countryside.

I often receive inquiries from people who would like to move to a remote part of Italy, especially towns where houses are being offered for €1! These can be great locations for anyone seeking a bucolic lifestyle, but two important things to remember are: 1) if you need to work there will be almost no work opportunities; 2) if you want to work online, the internet connection may not be the best. Make sure you do your due diligence before taking the plunge.

5. Research real estate agents.

Apart from a few exceptions, many realtors in Italy do not update their websites very often – so the listings you see online may be no longer be available. Quite often the realtor may not have photos of the properties on file, and if they do, they may only have a few.

Italian landlords normally don’t like to give a realtor exclusivity on their property, which means that the same property can be listed with several agencies. As a result properties can quickly disappear from the market, even on the day you are scheduled to visit them!

Realtors in northern Italy, in cities such as Milan and Turin, normally take two months’ rent as commission (or a yearly percentage of the rent that usually works out more or less as two months’ rent). In the rest of Italy, the standard is one month’s rent.

6. Know your leases.

When a landlord enters a person-to-person lease agreement in Italy, they pay considerably less tax than if they sign a contract with a company. If a personal contract isn’t an option for you, it might reduce the number of properties you can see. Occasionally a property owner may be willing to accept a higher rent to offset the higher taxes associated with a corporate contract, but it cannot be guaranteed.

I always advise my clients to never rent a property in Italy without a proper lease contract. Once the contract has been signed by both parties, the landlord then has 30 days to register the contract with the tax authorities, he/she should provide you with a copy of the registration once completed.

7. Get the right help.

If you are going to be living in Italy long-term, please engage the services of a competent lawyer and accountant for any legal or tax advice you may need. Many expats try to do it themselves, as they are under the impression that they can get away with things in Italy and the law is not enforced. This is not the case, and in my 30-plus years of assisting expats, I’ve seen hundreds end up in tears when the authorities come knocking.

8. Retake your driving test.

Unless you come from a country that has a reciprocal agreement with Italy, after one year of being a resident in Italy you will need to take the Italian driving test. Unfortunately, this is only available in Italian (though you can also take the test in French or German if you are a resident in the areas of Italy where they also are official languages).

For example, a state-issued US licence will be valid for one year from when you request residency at the town hall, and not from when you receive confirmation of your residency. The best thing to do is to apply at a driving school once your residency has been confirmed and you have your Italian ID card. The driving school will supply you with the driver’s manual that you will need to study to complete the course and initiate the exam. If you are taking Italian lessons, you may want to ask your teacher to concentrate the lessons around the manual so that you can be prepared for the test.

Depending on how old your EU licence is, and whether it has an expiry date, you should contact the Department of Motor Vehicles (Motorizzazione Civile) to see if you need to exchange it or not.

9. Register your car.

Every EU and non-EU citizen who brings their foreign-registered car to Italy with them must register their car with the Italian authorities within 12 months of becoming an Italian resident. This process can be extremely time- and labour-intensive, especially if the vehicle needs modifications to be in line with European directives, and depending on where you have the service done, the cost is normally not less than €800 plus disbursements.

Please also note that insurance companies in Italy are not normally willing to insure a foreign-registered car; therefore, if you are planning on living in Italy long-term, it is highly advisable to register your car here. Right-hand drive cars also present challenges in Italy, especially with insurers.

10. Stay clear of the moaners.

You simply do not have the time to hang out with expats who are constantly hating on Italy and Italians: they will sap your energy and chip away at your enthusiasm for why you moved.

Just like you should avoid the moaners, don’t overly focus on the negatives in Italy. As much as you can, focus on all the wonderful aspects of Italy and be grateful for the fact that you can experience it firsthand.

Relocating to a foreign country can be challenging and Italy is no exception. Regardless of whether you are moving here under your own steam or as part of an intracompany transfer, the same issues of culture shock, isolation and bureaucracy can still come into play. To help you to live the most successful life possible in Italy, I believe it is very important for you to be aware of the ten must-knows that I have just detailed above.

Enjoy your time in Italy!

Based in Rome, Damien O’Farrell is a life and expat coach specializing in relocation to Italy. This article is an edited version of a post originally published on his website.

SWEDEN IS THE BEST COUNTRY FOR IMMIGRANTS ACCORDING TO A U.S REPORT.

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SWEDEN IS THE BEST COUNTRY FOR IMMIGRANTS ACCORDING TO A U.S REPORT.

Three european countries are among the top five countries for immigrants worldwide.

According to a U.S News and world report, Sweden is the best country to be an immigrant.

The rankings were based on factors such as economic stability, income equality, and a good job market, based on survey data from more than 21,000 business leaders, general citizens, and others.

A number of these countries have good integration measures such as language training with job opportunities for migrants.

The top five countries for immigrants so far as been

1. Sweden
2. Canada
3. Switzerland
4. Australia
5. Germany

So which of these countries would you like to visit or migrate to in the New Year? Kindly share and leave your comments below.

BELIEFS ABOUT IMMIGRATION IN ITALY, TRUE OR FALSE?

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BELIEFS ABOUT IMMIGRATION IN ITALY, TRUE OR FALSE?

If you are a migrant living in Italy, it is quite common to hear Italians discuss on different medium how immigration in their country has cost them more harm than good.

It is a fact that Italy has received the most hit on migration since the early 1980s due to increase in demand of low skilled labor and since the late 90s till now as result of economy issues, political instability, war and famine in other parts of the world has led to an influx of refugees and asylum seekers to Italy because of its external borders with some of these countries.

Please read: Cause of African Migration to Europe


The Dublin Rule which  binds all EU countries together, also allows asylum requests to be dealt with by the first country the refugee enters. Italy has received the worst hit as most migrants coming to Europe by sea enter Italy first before crossing over to other EU countries.

Please Read: EU send Migrants to Italy more than any other EU contries

The new Italian government came into power on the back of promises to reduce immigration in the country and popularised the slogan “Italians first”.

Please read: The Italian Economy falls into Recession the second time

But is it a fact that migrants are indeed a problem to the Italians or the Italian economy or is it simply a misguided belief ? Let us compare facts and statistics with common held beliefs about immigration in Italy.

Below are four commonly held beliefs about migrants in Italy.

1.Migrants in Italy are too Many.

Many Italians believe there are too many foreign nationals in their home soil, but according to Italy’s national statistics institute Istat which says that there are five million foreign nationals legally residing in Italy. That is 8.3 percent of the country’s population of 60.5 million.

Italy is a big tourist attraction for many foreign nationals that have come from different parts of the world. Some stay behind after falling in love with the food, culture, fashion, style and environment while for others, it is simply an opportunity for a better life and future. The biggest proportion of migrants, are from Romania (23 percent), followed by Albanians (9 percent), Moroccans (8 percent), Chinese (5.5 percent) and Ukrainians (4.5 percent) and many of them are hard working and employed in retail, farming or domestic work.

More than 690,000 migrants, most from Sub-Saharan Africa, have arrived by boat from Libya since 2013. Migration study foundation ISMU estimates that around 500,000 are living in the country illegally — equivalent to 0.9 percent of the population.

Contrary to the belief out there, it is a fact that the migrant population only comprise of a small fraction of the Italian population.

2.Migrants in Italy cause Crime

If you live in Italy, it is quite common to find in the news that a migrant has commited a crime just like is it reported that an Italian has commited a crime also, but this has been enough to persuade some locals to believe that the crime rate in Italy has increased as a result of the influx of migrants to the country.

But according to Italy’s interior ministry, crime rate has dropped by 8.3 percent in the last 10 years, despite the fact that the number of foreigners in the country has increased from three to five million over the same period.

Figures presented by the ministry showed that in 2017 murders dropped by nearly 12 percent, robberies by 11 percent and burglaries by nine percent.

So if the ministry says so, I would not argue with them, I will simply leave it like that.

3.Migrant population is exploding

The impression created by some far-right politicians of a growing number of migrant arrivals is wrong. A controversial agreement signed by Rome with the Libyan authorities and militias last summer reduced arrivals by 70 percent.

The government also oversaw a 12 percent increase in expulsions in the year 2017, from 5,817 in 2016 to 6,514.

Meanwhile UNHCR data show the number of people arriving on boats from the North African shores has dramatically decreased – declined sharply —from 181,000 in 2016, to 119,000 in 2017, and just 21,000 at 31st the end of October 2018 according to UNHCR.

It is simply not true to hold on to the belief that there is a kind of invasion from Africa in Italy. A careful study of the diagram prove it to be false

4.Migrants cost too expensive.

Government figures put the cost in 2017 of migrants arriving via Libya at more than €4.2 billion ($5.2 billion), of which 65 percent was spent on taking care of asylum seekers during their convoluted application process.

Eighteen percent of that figure was for sea rescue and 13 percent for medical assistance.

According to a study by the Idos Institute, overall immigrants bring in between 2.1 and 2.8 billion euros more than they cost the state.

Most asylum seekers and refugees are hard working people who have come to Italy to better their lives and that of their respective families. With the right support and friendly environment, they would contribute their quarter to the growth and development of the Italian Republic.

Already, migrants are contributing 11.9 billion euros to social security, value added is 131 billion euros which is about 9 percent of the GDP and 3 billion euros as taxes paid.

Now I want to hear from you: What are your thoughts on this subject. Do you think migrants are still a problem to the Italian government and the economy ? Or do you think the new Italian government is right to take a strong stance against immigration ? Share your thoughts with me and others in the comments below!

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