Greater than 500 folks, many wearing banners, desiring emigrate to Italy personal gathered at Dhaka’s Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed Park end to the Italian Embassy, seeking out the return of their passports with visas following long delays.
Protesters complained that the embassy had given 90 days processing time while making exercise of for the agricultural visa, nonetheless many had their passports held up for 2 to two-and-a-half of years.
On the diversified hand, they can’t depart to diversified worldwide locations as they cease now now not personal passports.
The protesters are keeping a public sit down-in program nerve-racking the return of passports alongside with Italian visas on an pressing basis at 10am.
Round 11am, a fraction had also taken steps to surround the Italian Embassy, nonetheless this did now now not happen.
“The hiss started at 10am, and it’s amassed occurring,” said Tohidul Islam, officer-in-mark of Gulshan police role.
“Greater than 5 hundred folks personal gathered since early morning to procure their passports with visas from the Italian Embassy. Adequate police personnel had been deployed within the role,” he added.
The Industrial Fashioned is attempting to set the Italian Embassy for comments.
In accordance to the hiss, the Embassy of Italy issued a press start asserting just a few representatives of the applicants were obtained within the embassy by the Deputy Head of Mission, to whom they supplied some requests.
“All around the meeting, the embassy supplied lawful, technical and logistic explanations for the existing delays within the processing of working visas to Italy. Applicants were warned now to now not pay or have faith any mediator or intermediary, who’re the main cause for the unique delays,” read the starting up.
The embassy start also said applicants were warned now to now not unique solid or fake paperwork. Corruption, to boot to the manufacturing of pretend or solid paperwork or statements, are serious crimes under both the Italian and Bangladeshi prison guidelines, which the Italian Embassy is committed to distinction alongside with the fervent Bangladeshi authorities.
“Over these regrettable practices, thorough investigations are in due path also in Italy,” it read.
The Embassy assured of its commitment to rising the output of processed applications and supplied some initiatives undertaken to that cease with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome, including the creation of a dedicated Project Drive.
The embassy reassured the applicants that their “Nulla Osta” will now now not expire once they personal lodged the utility or requested an appointment to total so.
“All around the meeting, the Embassy also clarified the role of VFS World. It is miles the handiest embassy’s professional permitted company diminished in dimension by the Italian govt with the handiest motive to procure visa and legalisation applications for Italy and to return passports to the respective applicants. The embassy receives tens of hundreds of applications per three hundred and sixty five days and would now now not receive a method to regulate them without the aid of such an organisation, as it happens for plenty of diversified international missions in Dhaka and in diversified substances of the realm,” read the embassy start.
VFS World acts on behalf and under strict instructions of the Italian Embassy, without taking segment in any option referring to the approval or rejection of a visa or its timing, nor on the appointment time table to file the visa applications.
“The appointinents are given by the Embassy after appropriate test and controls on the tips filed by the applicants, and not utilizing a involvement of VFS World or its workers,” the starting up read.
All around the meeting, the Embassy recalled that, by Italian guidelines, applicants can withdraw their passports at any moment given that they renounce the utility. For visa applications filed after Would possibly 2024, thanks to a positive waiver launched by the Headquarters, applicants cease now now not have to leave their passports anymore alongside with their visa applications. The passport might perhaps well per chance be supplied at a later stage if wanted, read the embassy press start.
The Embassy highlighted that the issuance of visas falls under the unfamiliar competence of the issuing Recount. Therefore, all choices referring to the starting up or denials of Italian working visas to Bangladeshi voters, to boot to their timing, activity, controls and time closing dates, are solely regulated by Italian Legislation.
“Grievances and appeals against the Embassy’s choices might perhaps well per chance be supplied to the upright authorities in Italy, pursuant to the suitable Italian prison guidelines and guidelines,” it said within the starting up.
The Embassy also wished to recall that it processed practically 40,000 visa applications in 2023, the excellent quantity ever. A an identical quantity is anticipated in 2024. Many legalisations and consular products and companies are also supplied by the Embassy to Bangladeshi voters residing in Italy.
“This visa and consular actions make a contribution importantly to the success of the Bangladeshi community residing in Italy, which sends the vital amount of 1.2 billion Euros per three hundred and sixty five days to Bangladesh,” it added.
The starting up also talked about that plenty of hundreds of irregular Bangladeshi migrants try and set Italy every month.
“Bangladeshis are the principle nationality attempting to substandard illegally the Mediterranean in direction of the Italian shores, hanging their very possess lives at serious possibility. Italy and the EU are committed to discontinuance exploitation and unlawful trafficking of human beings. We invite all Bangladeshi voters now to now not depend on human traffickers to set Italy,” read the starting up.
“The crime of unlawful immigration is a serious crime and involves the repatriation of the migrant and a ban on re-entry all around the territory of the European Union from 3 to 5 years. Illegal migrants are now now not allowed to work in Italy at the least,” the embassy start read.
