Amid visa seekers' peaceful demonstration demanding quick delivery of passports with visa, the Italian Embassy in Dhaka on Monday said applicants were warned against submitting forged or false documents.
The Italian Embassy said they are committed to work with the Bangladesh authorities and in partnership with the European Union (EU) for actively preventing irregular flows and promoting legal pathways.
A bilateral agreement has been proposed to further improve collaboration in migration and mobility issues, which they hope will soon be finalised.
The Embassy assured of its commitment to increase the output of processed applications and presented some initiatives undertaken to that end with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome, including the creation of a dedicated taskforce.
Applicants were reassured that their "nulla osta" will not expire once they have lodged the application or requested an appointment to do so.
The nulla osta is the document issued by Italian immigration authorities which authorizes a non-EU national to apply for a work visa at the Italian embassy/consulate in their country of residence
A few hundreds of working visa applicants gathered on Monday morning in Shahabuddin Park in Gulshan 2 asking for a rapid reply to their applications.
The demonstration was peaceful, said the Embassy, adding that a few representatives of the applicants were received in the Embassy by the Deputy Head of Mission to whom they presented some requests.
During the meeting the Embassy provided legal, technical and logistic explanations for the existing delays in the processing of working visas to Italy.
Applicants were warned not to pay or trust any mediator or intermediary who are the main cause for the current delays, said the Embassy.
The visa seekers also wanted to meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus to place their demands for addressing the issue.
“Your voice will play a strong role in resolving our problems. We want to get our passports and visas back soon,” said a message displayed by one of the visa seekers who joined the programme.
Corruption and the production of false or forged documents or statements are serious crimes under both the Italian and Bangladeshi laws, which the Italian Embassy is committed to contrast together with the concerned Bangladeshi authorities, said the Embassy.
Over these regrettable practices, thorough investigations are in due course also in Italy.
During the meeting, the Embassy also clarified the role of VFS Global: it is the only Embassy's official authorized agency, contracted by the Italian Government with the only purpose to collect visa and legalization applications for Italy and to return passports to the respective applicants.
The Embassy receives tens of thousands of applications per year and would not be able to manage them without the help of such an organization, as it happens for several other foreign missions in Dhaka and in other parts of the world.
VFS Global acts on behalf and under strict instructions of the Italian Embassy, without taking part in any decision concerning the approval or rejection of a visa or its timing, nor on the appointment schedule to file the visa applications.
The appointments are given by the Embassy after appropriate checks and controls on the data filed by the applicants, with no involvement of VFS Global or its staff.
During the meeting, the Embassy recalled that, by Italian regulations, applicants can withdraw their passports at any moment provided that they renounce the application.
For visa applications filed after May 2024, thanks to a special waiver released by the Headquarters, applicants do not need to leave their passports anymore along with their visa applications.
The passport can be presented at a later stage if needed.
The Embassy wished to highlight that the issuance of visas falls under the exclusive competence of the issuing State.
“Therefore, all decisions concerning the release or denials of Italian working visas to Bangladeshi citizens, as well as their timing, procedure, controls and deadlines, are exclusively regulated by Italian Law,” said the Embassy.
Grievances and appeals against the Embassy's decisions can be presented to the proper authorities in Italy, pursuant to the applicable Italian laws and regulations.
The Embassy recalled that it processed almost 40,000 visa applications in 2023, the highest number ever. A similar number is expected in 2024.
Many legalizations and consular services are also provided by the Embassy to Bangladeshi citizens living in Italy.
This visa and consular activities contribute importantly to the success of the Bangladeshi community residing in Italy, which sends the remarkable amount of 1.2 billion Euros per year to Bangladesh.
At the same time, several thousands of irregular Bangladeshi migrants attempt to reach Italy every month: Bangladeshis are the first nationality trying to cross the Mediterranean illegally towards the Italian shores, putting their own lives at serious risk, said the Embassy.
Italy and the EU are committed to stopping exploitation and illegal trafficking of human beings.
“We invite all Bangladeshi citizens not to rely on human traffickers to reach Italy. The crime of illegal immigration is a serious crime and involves the repatriation of the migrant and a ban on re-entry throughout the territory of the European Union from 3 to 5 years,” said the Embassy.
“Illegal migrants are not allowed to work in Italy in any case. The new procedures in Italy also provide for the possibility of detaining at the border those who arrive illegally and proceeding with immediate repatriation,” it said.