Last year, Italy witnessed a remarkable surge in granted stay permits, with a total of 449,118 issued, according to the Italian National Statistics Institute ISTAT.
Such data also shows an 86 per cent increase compared to the previous year, representing a record figure not seen in over a decade, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine was particularly significant, as 148,000 permits for temporary protection were granted to Ukrainians. Among these permits, 36.8 per cent were allocated to minors, and 71.7 per cent were issued to women.
In addition, Italy continues to host over five million foreign nationals, showing a slight increase compared to the previous year. As a result, 59.1 per cent of these foreign nationals have chosen to reside in the northern regions of Italy.
In the past year, Italy saw the arrival of about 9,000 unaccompanied minors under 18 who entered the country without any adult relatives.
Taking into account such increased numbers, Italy’s Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, expressed concerns about the substantial migration pressure the country had been facing in the central Mediterranean for several months.
He noted that the increase in migrant flows from Tunisia had surged by over 376 per cent compared to the previous year. Minister Piantedosi also said that as of October 4, a total of 3,471 migrants had been repatriated, which was a higher number than in both 2022 and 2021, which means that 70 per cent of these repatriated migrants had transited through a CPR, a pre-deportation holding centre.
Recently, Italian authorities revealed that the country has welcomed over one million migrants since 2013. The mortality rate among people embarking on migration routes to Italy has surpassed 28,000 individuals. This tragic trend began in the early 2010s, with the loss of 368 lives in 2013 when migrants departed from Libya.
Earlier this month, Italy also implemented a legislative change to improve the treatment of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the country.
The new legislation alters the standard procedure for housing unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. This shift may involve changes in how these minors are integrated into the reception and integration (SAI) system, potentially to enhance their care and support. The decree has also introduced new age determination protocols.
These protocols are particularly relevant when dealing with unaccompanied minors who arrive in Italy frequently and continuously. Accurate age determination is crucial for ensuring minors receive the appropriate care, services, and legal protections based on their actual age.