Cabinet approves migrant flow decree

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 2 - A cabinet meeting on Wednesday gave the green light to a decree regulating the legal entry of foreign workers.
    Cabinet Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano said the measure was aimed at "simplifying procedures," and cutting down the time required for permits while giving "certain rules that are more difficult to break", speaking at a press conference after the meeting. He also said that the possibility granted to security forces tof checking a migrant's cell phone was only aimed at "guaranteeing the identification of migrants or at least their geographical origin", without the possibility of accessing messages or "any form of communication".
    The measure also provides for the presence of a cultural mediator during the procedure and the "inspection must be authorized by judicial authorities", he said.
    Overall, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the decree was aimed at opening the country to "regular migration" while fighting illegal entries.
    Illustrating the details of the decree, Tajani mentioned the "obligation to provide digital prints for foreigners requesting a national visa", which is today only required for Schengen visas.
    The foreign minister also mentioned "the elimination of the obligation for consulates to inform a potential migrant that their visa request has been rejected" and more stringent background checks for the release of a visa for citizens of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka where irregularities have been most significant, he said.
    These countries, explained Tajani, are still included in the migrant flow decree but the release of working visas will be suspended to allow more in-depth controls in Italy and the list of countries can be modified through a decree issued by the foreign minister. (ANSA).