Italy grants 170,000 permits to foreign workers

Italy has opened up job opportunities for some 3,000 migrant Filipinos after it granted 170,000 permits for foreign workers under a government decree passed last month.

The Philippine Embassy in Rome reported the Italian government has reserved 3,000 working-immigrant slots for Filipinos under Decree on Immigration Quota for Non-European Union (EU) citizens.

The embassy told the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that Italy had passed a decree authorizing non-EU residents, including Filipinos, to work in the country this year.

Philippine Ambassador to Italy Philippe Lhuillier said that out of the total number of working immigrants allowed into Italy, 3,000 slots have been reserved for Filipino workers.

Out of this number, 1,000 slots have been allocated for applicants such as managers, skilled and even unskilled workers.

Lhuillier explained the quota was made available only to countries with specific bilateral agreements with Italy.

The Philippines and Italy signed the Readmission Agreement in February 2004 with the commitment of the Italian government to extend a special quota for Filipino workers yearly.

Lhuillier added application forms for direct hiring were made available at selected Italian post offices since Feb. 18.

He explained that employers will have to fill out application forms to hire prospective Filipino workers in Italy.

For the meantime, the DFA Office of Migrant Workers’ Affairs Office (DFA-OUMWA) led by Executive Director Pedro Chan is assisting Filipino workers applying for work permits in Italy.

Chan said it is a routine for the Embassy to assist the Filipino migrant workers and make representations with Italian immigration authorities.

Many of those applying at post offices throughout the country were people already living and working in Italy illegally.

Chan said the Italian government has granted amnesty to illegal workers and most of the beneficiaries were Filipinos.

"(This is because) Filipino labor is highly regarded in Italy," Chan said.

Hundreds of thousands of foreigners, along with their employers, stood in long lines since Tuesday in Rome at post offices in hopes of snagging one of 170,000 authorized permits for foreign workers.

Italy’s Civil Protection agency said it had sent volunteers to post offices to help those who were waiting in line — some had spent the night there — distributing hot drinks and blankets.

"My husband slept all night on the street, I arrived at eight this (Tuesday) morning," said Marife Mendoza, a 34-year-old Filipino housecleaner who was seeking a permit for her sister-in-law, who is in the Philippines.

Employers also queued, either to apply for permits for their current employees or to seek permits for foreigners they wanted to employ.

More than 6,000 windows at post offices throughout the country started taking applications in the early afternoon, and each one was stamped with the exact time before being mailed to the Interior Ministry, and from there to local labor offices. Answers to the applications were expected within 20 days. -With AP