The Italian Embassy in Bangladesh has suspended the validity of all work authorisations and halted the appointments for such permits due to the high number of false and counterfeit documents.
According to a press release by the Embassy, applicants from other countries are also impacted by this decision, but the authorities have not yet specified these countries, Schengen.News reports.
Italian Embassy in Dhaka Will Grant Permits Only After Receiving Confirmation
The Embassy will grant the work permits only after receiving the confirmation from the provincial immigration office in Italy and the verification of the suspended work authorisation (Nulla Osta) is completed.
In addition, the applicants will start receiving their passports on Sunday, October 20, after the authorities notify candidates that their documents are ready to be collected.
However, the remaining types of permits and visas for purposes of study, family reunification, business and tourism will continue to be issued as usual.
Italian Authorities Warned Bangladeshis Over New Measures
Antoni Alessandro, the Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh, has mentioned that more stringent rules can be introduced. Alessandro made these remarks earlier this month during a meeting with the newly appointed secretary, Jashim Uddin, and urged the new functional to strengthen the relations between the two countries.
The tightened measures follow concerns raised by the cabinet of the Italian PM, who fear that the employment scheme is enabling more foreigners to come and work in the country in an irregular way.
It was also discovered that criminal networks are selling foreigners work visas for prices up to €15,000, contributing to the misuse of the employment scheme. It is quite common for Bangladeshi nationals to be victims of these networks.
Italy Is Bangaldeshis Top Destination for Schengen Visas
Bangladeshi nationals filed 39,729 visa applications in 2023, with 34 per cent of them being for Italy visas.
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, although Bangladeshis’ top favourite destination is Italy, they are least likely to obtain a visa from there. Italy has the lowest approval rates for Bangladeshis, with only 40 per cent of visa requests being granted.
Italy, Sweden, Germany, and France are the remaining destinations where Bangladeshis like to apply for visas.
Source: https://schengen.news/italy-suspends-validity-of-work-permits-for-bangladeshis/
