Since coming to power, Giorgia Meloni distinguished herself with a hybrid approach to immigration. While locking down Italy's borders and strengthening agreements with transit countries, Meloni reopened the way for legal labor immigration, which had remained closed for more than a decade. This decision, while crucial for supporting certain economic sectors, quickly revealed its flaws. A year later, abuses and fraud are on the rise, forcing the head of government to take emergency corrective measures.
Generous quotas, exponential fraud
The agreement with Tunisia signed in 2023, which provided for the legal entry of 452 foreign workers in three years, seemed like a pragmatic solution to regulate immigration and meet economic needs. However, the reality has proven quite different. Shady intermediaries have taken over the system to sell promises of work permits, plunging thousands of migrants into illegality. This phenomenon is particularly visible in Campania, where less than 000% of workers who enter legally obtain a residence permit. Thousands of fictitious companies have been exposed, selling permits without offering real employment.
Faced with this situation, Meloni herself filed a complaint with the national anti-mafia prosecutor in June 2024, denouncing a massive infiltration of the system by criminal networks.
On Wednesday, the Italian government unveiled a set of measures to combat abuse. The goal is twofold: to prevent the exploitation of migrants while ensuring that those who enter legally can work in dignified conditions. These measures include the establishment of a pre-application system, the cross-referencing of tax and social security databases, and the electronic signature of residence contracts. These adjustments aim to prevent fraud and ensure that job offers are real before workers arrive.
One of the major challenges remains the exploitation of migrants by companies that hire them illegally to avoid regulations. To address this, an old provision is being brought back to the forefront: workers who are victims of exploitation and who denounce their employers will be able to obtain a six-month temporary residence permit. However, this measure, already in force since 1998, has rarely been applied.
The government has also decided to temporarily suspend work visas for several Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, where a black market for visas has developed. In addition, asylum seekers will now have to allow their phones to be inspected by authorities to verify their identity and origin.
A controversial but effective model?
Despite criticism from humanitarian associations, Giorgia Meloni relies on concrete results to defend her policy. Indeed, illegal arrivals on Italian territory have fallen by 65% since the beginning of 2024, a reduction due to agreements with Tunisia and a strengthening of controls. If this approach appeals to some European countries, such as the United Kingdom, which is considering taking inspiration from it, it is not without arousing reluctance.
The accusations of inhumane treatment of migrants, particularly in Tunisia, have been widely reported by the international press. However, Meloni persists and insists: for her, the management of migratory flows is based on strict control and agreements with the countries of departure, even at the cost of severe criticism.
With ambitions to process up to 36 asylum applications per year in centers located in Albania, Meloni continues to reshape the Italian and European migration landscape, hoping to inspire his counterparts to follow this controversial but effective path.
