Italy plans to reduce the chances of migrants to claim asylum

Rome: The Italian government has approved a bill aimed at reducing the number of migrants who can claim asylum, Reuters writes.

The bill still needs to win the support of the lower house of parliament for it to come into effect. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the bill, which also includes tougher penalties for people smugglers, is intended to deter people from trusting criminals and trying to enter Italy illegally.

Critics say the bill is repressive and will do nothing to reduce the flow of migrants seeking a better life in Europe. One of the most contested points is the decision to limit the “special protection” residence permits offered to immigrants who do not qualify for asylum but face humanitarian risks in their country of origin or who have family in Italy.

compared to 7,494 residence permits that establish refugee status and 7,039 residence permits that provide other types of international protection.

Italy is experiencing a new wave of immigrants, from the 1st of January to the 19th of April, 34,715 people entered the country illegally. Last year, in the same period of time, 8,669 people arrived in Italy by boat across the Mediterranean. Opposition representatives have called on the government to do more to integrate immigrants into the labor market, as Italy faces a shortage of hundreds of thousands of new workers due to a shrinking population.