Flows Decree 2006

Flows decree 2006 should be enforced very soon, this means that application forms are to be given in during that time. Whereas if you are a new-EU citizen you can start applying to flows decree from February 3rd on. What is “flows decree”? How can non-EU citizens hope to be regularly moving to Italy?

Italian Immigration Act (Bossi-Fini law enforced back in September 2002) provides for that non-EU citizens can regularly enter Italian territories only if they manage to find employment when still living abroad. Regularisation comes once a year through the so-called flows decree (which is usually enacted in the first few months of the year). Employers can apply to have their eventual employees authorised to move to Italy. They need to declare that workers are abroad and that in case they come to work to Italy they already managed to find suitable housing. Flows are managed through a system of quotas, which makes regularisation basically impossible. Each flows decree establishes how many foreign workers can come and work in Italy, numbers are divided among nationalities (and numbers usually depend on cooperation agreements signed between governments) and work typologies (full/part-time employment, health care, self-employment, professionals, housekeeping, seasonal labour, etc.). This year flows decree will allow 170,000 entries. Each region, each city can count on a limited number of quotas.

These are just few words how things work in Italy. We would like today to tell how the situation really functions.

Thousands of foreigners reach Italy and they usually illegally work and live here. They all wait for flows decree to come, they all wish to find someone that is willing to run for such a competition. In fact applying to flows decree is like running for a state lottery. Migrant workers are not abroad, they all live and work here but they fake to be still in their home countries in the name of residence permit. The fill in forms, they pay for contributions, they stand in incredibly long queues outside post offices and then when their turn comes to give forms in their employers arrive and apply to quotas. Numbers are so few that citizens usually stand in front of offices nights and days before the opening of the decree. Only the ones that get to the counters first may hope to become a regular citizen, someone that can rent a flat, open a bank account, have a doctor, have his/her relatives come to join him/her, etc.

Competition is so high that many exploit migrants: fake employers, associations,… We have been recently signalled that some associations ask citizens to pay 150 Euro to have forms filled in. We were also informed that some offices that assist migrants in the fulfilment of bureaucratic proceedings state that can have flows decree application forms reach offices right at first.

Everyone is free to choose, of course, whether to pay or not for such “services” but we believe that all pieces of information should be freely spread around and we strongly criticise the ones that earn out of someone’s needs.

Another great problem is offices’ opening times. Employers have to give application forms in at post offices, which send forms via registered mail to Prefectures. Day and time are printed on envelopes and these are the data that establish who sent documents first. A big deal was raised last year because post offices do not all open at the same time and as a consequence many were left out of flows. This year post offices opening time is everywhere 8.30. Since the publishing of the decree on Official Gazette there will be seven days before forms can presented. The first day of offices’ opening forms will be accepted from 2.30 p.m. to avoid the malfunctioning of post offices regular activities.

Flows decree 2006 implies a novelty: Forms are to be optically read

How to fill forms in
There cannot be mistakes in application forms because of the optic reading that has been recently introduced. The optic reading implies that forms are processed by machines and this leads to the fact that mistakes won’t be detected. Everything must be written inside blank spaces (one space one letter) and applicants should always use the same pen to avoid that optic readers make mistakes while processing forms. Pens need to be either blue or black. In case forms are wrongly filled in, they are to become last in evaluations.

Lists
We are a little puzzled by the fact that forms that show mistakes are to be evaluated at the end of forms processing. Chronological order is to be the criteria in the evaluation of forms.
When flows decree begins, post offices should create a list of forms starting off from 8.30 a.m.. Listing is of course based on local applications.
Example - Padua’ quotas are 500, but 1,000 applications are given in. Only the first 500 are to be selected. We believe that migrant workers will have chances only if applying right the day flows decree opens, in fact last years everybody went to post offices the first day. Long queues stood outside offices because interested citizens do wish to make it through.

Optic reading implies that applications with mistakes become the last in the list. What is to happen? What does it mean that such applications are to secondarily be evaluated?

We can imagine that correct forms are processed and than the others will be. We unfortunately think that such a procedure cannot be considered correct. If the sole criteria is time, offices should not be allowed to consider the first applications given in through the optic reading. Offices should wait to verify that all application forms (that fill in available quotas) are correct according to the optic system.

For further information visit the Italian page of Melting Pot Europe.