Amnesty for Migrants in Italy: More than 12,000 Bangladeshis apply for regularisation

At least 12,746 undocumented Bangladeshi migrants in Italy have applied for regularisation under an Italian government-declared amnesty programme which is scheduled to end today.

Their papers will now be verified and they will be interviewed by the authorities concerned before they get their work permits, Arfanul Haque, labour welfare counsellor at the Bangladesh Embassy in Rome, told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Most of the Bangladeshi migrants applied to the domestic work sector as caregivers," he said over a WhatsApp call.

Asked whether all will be regularised, the mission official said there is a condition for the domestic work sector that workers have to apply under the specific employer, which the authorities will verify afterwards.

So, it cannot be said at this stage how many have fulfilled the condition, he added.

He added that the Bangladesh mission was trying to help the undocumented workers process their papers properly.

The Italian government declared amnesty for undocumented migrants from June 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The last time it announced a similar amnesty was in 2012, said the mission official.

Under the latest amnesty, the authorities also gave workers scope to be regularised in the agriculture sector. Besides, those who are currently unemployed are also getting the opportunity.

Like the domestic work sector, workers in the agriculture sector have to apply under the specific employer, while the unemployed have the scope to get work permits at a fee of 130 euros each.

As of July 16, the Italian interior ministry received 123,429 requests for the regularisation programme, according to ANSA, a well-reputed wire service in Italy.

Cleaners and caregivers made up the bulk of the requests, ANSA said in a report.

Alongside Bangladeshis, Ukrainians and Moroccans mostly requested permits as cleaners or carers. Besides, Albanians, Moroccans, and Indians mostly requested permits as agricultural workers, it added.

The number of Bangladeshi workers seeking regularisation was 12,746 until July 31, said Bangladesh mission official Arfanul, adding that it was made available by the Italian interior ministry.

Italy is home to about 1.45 lakh Bangladeshi migrants with valid documents, he said, citing the data of the Italian ministry of labour and social policies.

Besides, an estimated 20,000 more Bangladeshis live and work in that country without valid documents.

According to a mission official, the Bangladeshi community in Italy said the number could be 50,000.

Arfanul said following the coronavirus outbreak, the Italian government announced different stimulus packages, including that for low-paid workers with work permits.

Such workers, including foreign nationals, had the opportunity to receive financial support from the Italian government, he said.

He added that many restrictions imposed by the Italian government to contain the spread of coronavirus had recently been lifted.

As a result, the low-paid workers and self-employed vendors, who were affected severely, get the scope for earnings, he said.