New welcome center for migrants in Milan, Italy

Milan: Milan has a new center for migrants, the Milano Welcome Center, which will be a unique point of access to services for those who just arrived in town and have been granted international protection.

The Milano Welcome Center, housed in a refurbished 2,000-square-meter municipal building near Milan Central Station, hosts approximately 60 professionals, including cultural-linguistic mediators, social workers, legal consultants, psychologists, educators, Italian language tutors, and administrative staff. These experts come from both the municipality and partner organizations in the third sector.

The facility operates as a “one-stop shop”: it aims to be the sole point of access for services dedicated to migrants and refugees, with a particular focus on new arrivals, to support their inclusion by consolidating in one single place the services, support, information and orientation services offered.

“When we talk about migrants and refugees, the key to inclusion lies in quality pathways that respect cultural differences and origins while supporting individuals and families in achieving real autonomy,” noted the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala.

“What is essential is the strengthening of the integrated service system dedicated to the new citizens of Milan in close cooperation between public and private institutions that work in this sector in the area of Milan, maintaining at the same time a role of strong leadership for the Municipality,” noted the Welfare Councilor Lamberto Bertolé.

The center has a multilingual front office where a person can go, even without a previous appointment, from Monday to Friday from 9 am until 5 pm. The synergy with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a cornerstone of the center’s operations.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Mayor Sala and Laurence Hart, Director of the IOM’s Mediterranean Coordination Office, the center provides services such as DNA testing for family reunification, assistance with completing reunification procedures, and interviews to facilitate voluntary return to the migrant’s country of origin, when requested.