Italy to tighten immigration laws

A Security Bill which contains several tough rules, directly affecting immigrants in Italy, has been approved by the Italian Senate.

Among these tough measures includes an offence of entering and staying in Italy illegally. Those found guilty will not be punished by a prison sentence but with a fine ranging from €5,000 to €10,000 and expulsion.

The Bill proposed an increase from 6 months to 2 years (3 years for those living abroad) the time after which foreigners married to Italian citizens can apply for the citizenship and introduces a €200 tax for applying for the citizenship. Foreign nationals in Italy who wants to marry will have to show they have a staying permit and officials will have to check with the City Council’s Registry if they have suitable accommodation.

Also included in the Bill, foreign citizens are required to undersign the so-called integration agreement (‘accordo di integrazione’) with points which will either increase or decrease depending on their behaviour. Those who lose all points will be expelled.

The tough rules will introduce a tax on the application for the first and renewal of the Permit Stay. The tax will range from a minimum amount of €80 to a maximum of €200. In the Bill, foreign nationals in the country applying for the Permanent Resident Permit (‘Carta di Soggiorno’) will be expected to pass Italian language test.

Currently, the law prohibits doctors from reporting to the police illegal immigrants who come to seek medical care in hospital. The Security Bill eliminates this ban, giving doctors permission, if they want to, to report illegal immigrants to the police.

Added to the package under the proposed Bill, Money Transfer operators will also be obliged to make a photocopy of the Permit Stay of those who make transactions. They will be obliged to report to the police those without the Permit of Stay.

The above rules are not yet in force as it has to be discussed and approved by Italy’s Chamber of Deputies before being returned to the Senate for further discussion and approval. Only after it has been approved by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies and published in the official gazette will it be recognised as official laws to be enforced.

The Bill has received sharp criticisms from different quarters. The Federation of Association of Italian Medics (Fnomceo) strongly rejected the measure to report to the police illegal immigrants who go to seek medical assistance in hospitals saying they refuse to be turned into spies for the police. “The Bill doesn’t improve security but devalues our country’s national health system,” says Dr. Amedeo Bianco – President of Fnomceo. He noted the Deontological Code requires medics to only follow the laws if they are not in contrast with their professional objectives.

“Violation of Deontological Code is punishable by the competent Association. The possibility of reporting illegal immigrants to the police will lead to emergence of clandestine medical services, making it impossible for the public health authorities to monitor emerging widespread diseases and that is a grave danger to each individual and the whole society,” said the Association of Italian Medics.

Italy’s Democratic Party fully shares in the criticisms against the Government’s immigration policies. MP Livia Turco, who heads the Democratic Party’s delegation to Parliamentary Social Affairs Commission said for a long time they have been condemning the immigration policies of the right wing government. “Once again, we would like to emphasise the importance of integration of foreigners in our country as the only way of ensuring peaceful and civil coexistence as happens in other countries,” said the MP in a statement.

The former head of the Party, Walter Veltroni, also criticised the measure allowing doctors to report illegal immigrants. He insisted: “In Parliament, we will do everything possible to stop the approval of a barbarous and racist measure like asking doctors to report illegal immigrants”. He observed that illegal immigrants, for fear of being reported to the police will avoid seeking medical care and an infectious disease which is not treated will be widespread hence threatening the medical security of the country.

Home Affairs Minister, Roberto Maroni, has rejected claims the Government wants to make it obligatory for doctors to report illegal immigrants to the police. “We haven’t made it obligatory, we have simply eliminated the rule banning them from doing so,” he explained and adds: “if the doctor doesn’t want to do so, he doesn’t have to but it is not right to punish a doctor who wants to report to the police an illegal immigrant”.