Staff Reporter :
The Embassy of Italy in Dhaka is going to start fresh application process for work visas, currently suspended, in Italy for the Bangladeshi workers intended to seek jobs there.
The Italian Embassy announced this information in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the announcement, referring to the previous notice issued on October 17, the embassy reconfirms that, based on Italian Law Decree 145 of October 11, 2024, all ‘Nulla Osta’ (work permit) issued until October 21, 2024, have been temporarily suspended. However, a new application process will start in April. Applications will only be accepted through direct communication from the embassy via VFS Global, it read.
Under the provisions of Law Decree 145, the Italian immigration authorities will reassess these ‘Nulla Osta.’ The embassy will invite applicants to submit their applications only after the relevant Italian authorities have completed the reassessment and confirmation process.
Several hundred ‘Nulla Osta’ holders have already been contacted and invited to submit their applications as part of this process.
Apart from this direct communication system, the work visa application process in Dhaka will remain suspended for the time being.
Interested individuals are specifically requested to refrain from contacting the embassy regarding the reopening of work visa applications and to patiently wait for direct communication from the embassy.
For ‘Nulla Osta’ holders issued after October 22, 2024, a new application process will begin in April, with further details to be provided later, the Embassy said.
Such a move came from Italy following the recent visit of Vice Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Maria Tripodi to Bangladesh.
During her meeting with Foreign Adviser to the Interim government Md Touhid Hossain at the ministry, she assured Bangladesh that they would expedite the process for issuing the long-pending visa applications of Bangladeshi workers.
Both sides also commended the immense contribution of the Bangladeshi diaspora in Italy as these people are contributing to the economy of both countries.
Sources said that currently Italy is hosting approximately 1,45,000 registered and some two lakh unregistered Bangladeshi workers.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on June last year complained about the buying and selling of Italian work visas and corruption in Bangladesh.
The head of the government cited that Bangladesh tops the list for illegal immigration to Italy according to the data collected from January to May 2024.
“Some organised criminal groups in Bangladesh and Italy create anonymous companies that exist only on paper,” she added.
Italy’s Ministry of Home Affairs conducted a survey and found that Bangladeshi citizens entered Italy both legally and illegally in 2024. In the first five months of that year, most Bangladeshis entered illegally by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
