Criminal groups are using loopholes in Italy's legal visa system for foreign workers to bring illegal immigrants into the country, a problem to be investigated by the anti-mafia prosecutor, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, quoted by Reuters.
As part of its tough stance on immigration, Meloni's right-wing government adopted a number of measures to limit immigrant arrivals, but also expanded legal immigration channels in response to growing labor shortages.
Last year, Italy increased work visa quotas for non-EU nationals to a total of 452,000 for the period 2023-2025, an increase of almost 150% over the previous three years. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy issued only 30,850 visas.
Melloni said that monitoring of the visas had turned up "alarming" data showing that some regions, especially the southern region of Campania, received a disproportionate number of job applications compared to the number of potential employers.
"Given the huge number of applications, only a very small percentage of foreigners who received work visas actually signed an employment contract, less than 3% in Campania," Meloni said in a speech released by her office.
She said it was evidence that "organized crime groups" have infiltrated visa application management to secure visas for migrants ineligible to enter Italy in exchange for payments of around €15,000.
Melloni said she had notified the national anti-mafia prosecutor and promised to adopt new measures to curb the practice after the Group of Seven (G7) leaders meet in Italy on June 13-15.
The "Ero Straniero" campaign, which lobbies for more liberal immigration policies, also said last week that the visa system is vulnerable to fraud, blaming red tape.
"In 2023, work visas were six times the quota set by the government, and only 23.52% converted into residence permits and stable, regulated employment," said "Ero Straniero" in a statement.
Data from the Ministry of the Interior show that the number of illegal migrants arriving in Italy by sea more than halved in 2024 compared to the same period last year, to 21,574 people.