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.
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