Italy has allocated 3,000, 4,000 and 5,000 quotas for Indian seasonal workers from 2023 to 2025.
New Delhi:
In a significant move that will benefit Indian students, Italy has agreed to allow students who complete their degrees an additional 12 months of stay. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given ex post facto approval to the Migration and Mobility Agreement between India and Italy. The agreement aims to strengthen people-to-people contacts, promote student mobility and strengthen cooperation on issues related to irregular migration, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) reported on Wednesday.
The current provisions of Italy’s visa regime, including post-study opportunities, internships and professional training, will be secured under the Flow Decree, favoring India.
Main provisions:
Indian students who complete their academic/vocational training in Italy can stay for up to 12 months for their first work experience.
Regarding the workforce, Italy has allocated quotas of 5,000, 6,000 and 7,000 non-seasonal workers in 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively, based on the current Flow Decree (reservation quotas for non-seasonal workers). total of 12,000 people)).
Additionally, Italy has reserved quotas for 3,000, 4,000 and 5,000 Indian seasonal workers in 2023, 2024 and 2025 under the current Flow Decree. 8,000 people in total).
Italy has outlined specific regulations regarding professional training, extracurricular internships, and curricular internships to enable Indian students/trainees to gain experience in line with Italian skills/training standards.
Under the Flow Decree, Italy proposes to create incremental reservation quotas for both seasonal and non-seasonal workers from 2023 to 2025. Additionally, the agreement formalizes a cooperative effort to strengthen travel corridors between India and Italy. This includes discussions on youth mobility and promoting the recruitment of qualified Indian professionals in the healthcare and medical services sector, which will be addressed under a Joint Working Group (JWG). The agreement also establishes cooperation between the two countries to combat illegal immigration. This Agreement is valid for five (5) years and will automatically renew for similar consecutive terms unless terminated by Participant.
To monitor the agreement, a Joint Working Group (JWG) has been formed and will meet regularly in virtual or physical mode as per convenience to monitor its implementation. The JWG will share relevant information, assess implementation of the Agreement, and discuss appropriate proposals to support implementation of the Agreement, if necessary. This agreement was signed on November 2, 2023 between the Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, on behalf of the Government of India, and Shri Antonio Tajani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on behalf of the Government of Italy. .