Overview

Introductional Overview on Italy (August 2023)

In summer 2023 we can follow in italians migration policy a lot of contradictions and we see a highly contested space. On one side is a very right wing government in power since October 2022. These italian politicians - backed up by European Union - try to make the arrivals, the movement from outside, but also the life of refugees and migrants inside the country more and more harder. On the other side much more people could reach with boats to the italian shores during last months and the government is still not able to stop and to control this strong movement.

As the situations in reception centers and other accommodation places are all the time changing, although the risks for detention and deportation are relatively low in moment but not calculable for the near future: we strongly recommend to go into the Contact section where you can find solidarity structures, with counseling offices and support points in the various regions and cities, where you are staying or moving through (and which you can find in the extensive contact list).

These contacts have been updated during the year 2023, but it is always possible that some information may change. We suggest to check the Facebook page indicated and if you are aware of any changes or groups not marked on the map, please let us know.
At the end of this introduction, you will find some Guides on various topics and/or specific border areas.

Some more rough information on the main routes and main questions:

People, who arrive from Tunisia or Libya in Lampedusa, actually are transferred within a few days to Sicily or to the mainland of Italy (see below: Mini-Guide for Sicily and Lampedusa). The authorities intend to regulate these movement and sometimes they try to filter out and to detain persons - e.g. persons with tunisian citizenship and and more systematically if they have been already deported from Italy before - who then quickly should be sent back again to the country of origin. The politicians are planning also more closed camps and they announce for the future a stricter policy of deportations. But just now in reality in most cases they still cannot manage and their bureaucracy is overwhelmed. They have to expect all asylum applications and most people on the move have good chances and the time to orient themselves in the country or to move further to other European countries.

People, who arrive in North-East of Italy via the Balkanroute nearby Trieste, also have the right to ask for asylum and they should insist on this right. Italian authorities sometimes try to stop people at the border to enter Italy or even organize illegal pushbacks back to Slovenia. At the moment in Trieste it is very difficult to formalise asylum applications due to the slow and overwhelmed bureaucracy, at the same time the camps are often full. But again: most people finally will find their route to their destination city.

People, who want to leave from Italy to France, have mainly two options: near the sea (via Ventimiglia) a lot of controls and push backs to Italy have to be expected. The route in the Alpes (via Turin to Briancon) obviously is less controlled and offers better chances. But this alpine route includes big risks with bad weather and out of summer season.

For people, who left successfully Italy to other European countries, the fingerprints given in Italy (for the socalled Dublin-regulation) are currently not an urgent problem. In theory the fingerprints might lead to deportations back to Italy, but in practice and actually its most often not working as Italy is not willing to take back people. As this situation can change every time again, once more the advice to contact local solidarity groups for updated information exchange and support.

For asylum seekers staying in Italy or for people with a temporary or humanitarian status already living here since years the situation aggravated in a sense, that they need permanent jobs and contracts to prolong or to improve their residence permissions. This means, that people with an insecure status, have to accept even very precarious and low paid jobs and might be trapped in conditions of severe exploitation.

It is another expression of an absurd policy in Italy, that the government recently decided to recruit within next three years about 500.000 workers from foreign countries for the sectors in which they lack labour power. And in the same time the 100 to 200.000 refugees and migrants, who might come or cross Italy in 2023, are confronted with border violence, social exclusion or even detention and deportation.

Guides:

- Mini-Guide for Sicily and Lampedusa: information after the arrival in Lampedusa and Sicily - guide created by Maldusa (September 2023)
You can read and download the guide translated into several languages:

English version
French version
Arabic version

- Survival manual for unaccompanied minors and their guardians in cooperation with Melting Pot Europa Project - Italian version (May 2020)

manuale-per-minori-stranieri-non-accompagnati.pdf

- “Welcome to Italy” guide (May 2018) - this guideline is outdated, although a lot of information are still valid.
You can read and download all the versions of the guide in the printings section or directly here below :

English version
Italian version
French version
Arabic version
Farsi version
Tigrinya version

We wish all people on the move a safe and successful traveling to reach their desired city of arrival.