ISLAMABAD: The Italian government has included Pakistan in the work visa category called ‘Decreto-Flussi’ which will allow its nationals to avail seasonal and non-seasonal work visas.
More than 30,000 work visas would be issued by the Italian authorities to the nationals from a few non-European Union countries including Pakistan. Pakistani workers in agriculture, tourism, construction and freight forwarding sectors can avail this opportunity.
The multi-year seasonal visa is without the limitation of nine month visa duration. One of the main advantages permit is that it allows the seasonal worker to enter Italy the following year regardless of the seasonal work.
The application forms are available till the final deadline on 31st December 2020. The request must be submitted by an Italian or foreign employer who is legally a resident in Italy .
Pakistan has been included in this category of visas after a gap of two years. Pakistan ambassador to Italy Jauhar Saleem said that the country hosts the largest Pakistani diaspora in the EU and has sent over $142 million in remittances in 2019-2020.
He added that the Pakistan community in Italy had been demanding re-inclusion in the list of countries eligible for seasonal workers visas ever since the facility was withdrawn two years ago.
The envoy said the demand for Pakistani workers in the Italian market is on the rise especially in the agricultural sector. He hoped that hundreds of Pakistani workers would obtain gainful employment in Italy.
The Pakistani Embassy also facilitated thousands of undocumented Pakistani workers in Italy to seek legal status through a scheme launched by the Italian government in June 2020 to regularise the undocumented foreign workers.
Over 18,000 Pakistanis applied for regularisation under that scheme. Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Pakistan embassy has kept its consular section in Rome and Milan fully functional to facilitate the community in benefiting from the employment opportunities in Italy.
