|
Citizens of most European nations and the following countries do not need a visa to enter Italy: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Singapore, South Korea, U.S.A., Uruguay, and Venezuala. Italian embassies can issue so-called Schengen visas allowing visitors to gain entry into the country, as well as Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Some nationalities may be required to obtain a visa from the Schengen member states they plan to visit after Italy. Italy has for some years been attracting considerable numbers of legal and illegal immigrants from all over the world. Some want to settle in Italy, others just want to use it as a gateway to Europe. As a result, current Italian immigration law is strongly influenced by political and social considerations that range from fear of being overwhelmed by people of other cultures and religions, to a realisation that the country probably needs immigrants, both skilled and unskilled, to continue functioning. At present, the fear aspect tends to outweigh the sense of opportunity, and any difficulties that you encounter in trying to obtain a visa to live and work in Italy almost certainly reflect this. Europeans Any citizen of an EU country has a right to live in any other EU country. This right is not unconditional, however. You do not need a visa, but you do have to have some form of health insurance (national - bring an E111 - or private) and the authorities can refuse entry if you are clearly indigent and likely to be a burden on the state. Persons with a criminal record can also be refused. Despite a great deal of wishful thinking to the contrary, there is still a requirement for Europeans to obtain a "permit to stay" (carta di soggiorno, one grade up from a basic permesso di soggiorno). This has to be applied for at the local Questura (police headquarters) within 8 days of your arrival in Italy. Your carta di soggiorno will normally be issued for 5 years, after which it will have to be renewed. If you marry an Italian, you can apply for a permanent carta di soggiorno once you have been married for 3 years (to avoid "marriages of convenience"). Non-Europeans Relocating to Italy by non-Europeans is clearly more complicated than for EU citizens. Indeed, since 1999 it has become even more complicated because the government introduced the concept of "annual flows" (flussi annui), namely quotas by country and by type of work that the person wants to do (dependent, i.e. as an employee; autonomous, i.e. self-employed, freelance; or seasonal, mainly in agriculture). While it is entirely correct that the government should try to regulate the flow of immigrants, it is unfortunate that their attention has been almost entirely on unskilled workers from poor countries, with little or no
|
