Asylum in Italy: Advantages, Disadvantages and Procedures

You can request asylum in Italy from the border police on arrival or from the police immigration office if you are already in the country.

Submitting this application requires compliance with the basic conditions, which are the need to provide proof of your exposure to any type of persecution in your home country, the difficulty of returning to your home country, and the urgent need to obtain protection.

Advantages of asylum in Italy

The advantages of resorting to Italy include the following:

1. Obtain legal protection from deportation to their country of origin.
2. Possibility to work in Italy 60 days after submitting the asylum application.
3. Obtaining the right to education in public schools for free.
4. Access to free health care.
5. The possibility of obtaining permanent residency after 5 years of continuous presence in Italy.
6. Providing many programs and assistance to refugees in order to integrate into society.

Disadvantages of asylum in Italy

The disadvantages of asylum in Italy are as follows:

• The length of the asylum procedures, which take from several months to years.
• Lack of resources related to receiving and supporting refugees, which negatively affects their lives.
• Refugees suffer from racial discrimination.
• Difficulty learning the Italian language.
• Lack of guarantees for their rights.

Documents required to apply for asylum in Italy

The documents required to apply for asylum in Italy include the following:

1. A valid passport.
2. birth certificate.
3. A document proving identity and nationality.
4. A document proving that the applicant has been subjected to persecution in his home country.

Steps for applying for asylum in Italy

Steps to apply for asylum in Italy include:

1. Submit your asylum application at the police immigration office if you are inside Italy or at the border conditions upon your arrival.
2. You can apply for protection orally or in writing in your mother tongue with the help of a sworn translator.
3. Undergo a medical examination to ensure that you are not infected with any infectious diseases.
4. Determine where to stay at the reception center.
5. Provide all personal information correctly.
6. Explain the circumstances and reasons that made you apply for asylum in Italy.
7. Conduct a personal interview with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to evaluate the application submitted and consider the reasons.
8. If approval is obtained, the applicant will receive refugee status.

Duration for processing an asylum application to Italy

The processing time for an asylum application to Italy varies from one person to another, depending on the nature of the application submitted, the country it comes from, in addition to the size of documents and verification of information.

The process of examining asylum applications to Italy takes about several months, but during this period the applicant obtains a temporary residence permit for a period of 6 months, which is automatically renewed until the final decision is made.

The committee’s decisions taken after reviewing the papers are in the following cases:

• Granting international protection: Here the applicant obtains refugee status or subsidiary protection.
• Rejection of international protection: means rejection of the asylum application.
• Referral of application to court: The committee was unable to make a decision and more time is required.

Approval and rejection of an asylum application in Italy

If the asylum request to Italy is approved, the applicant obtains refugee status, and thus has the right to reside in the country permanently, in addition to obtaining social, health, and educational services.

The applicant is entitled to the right to work approximately 60 days after submitting his or her asylum application.

The applicant obtains subsidiary protection if he does not qualify for refugee status, meaning that he is exposed to danger in his home country but cannot prove this. He is entitled to remain in the country for 5 years with the possibility of renewal.

If the asylum application is rejected, the applicant has the right to file an appeal against the rejection, with the need to correct the reasons for the rejection, which are as follows:

1. Providing incorrect information.
2. Inability to prove exposure to danger and persecution in the home country.
3. The person represents a danger to the public security of the state.

Rights and duties of refugees in Italy

The rights of refugees after applying for asylum in Italy are as follows:

• The right to remain inside Italy until the submitted application is considered and a final decision is made.
• Possibility of obtaining the right of residence and medical care.
• Obtaining the right to education and work in Italy.
• Protection from violence and extremism in Italy.

Duties for refugees in Italy include:

• The laws and culture of Italy must be respected.
• Seeking work or education.
• The necessity of cooperation with the Italian authorities.

Frequently asked questions about asylum in Italy

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