But dreams remained just dreams: before enjoying the joys of Italian life, one had to somehow get there. And for potential emigrants, as ‘The New Foreigner’ notes, Italy long remained a forbidden fruit.
The adoption of new legislation on foreigners, which was developed in 1998–99, changed the situation: a new immigration policy was formed in the country, thanks to which many foreign citizens, including Ukrainians, received a real opportunity to become holders of a residence permit, and eventually Italian citizenship. And in 2000, Italy became one of the European leaders in immigration: Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom accounted for two-thirds of all foreigners who moved to Europe for permanent residence, of whom 26% settled in Italy.
For those at least somewhat familiar with the immigration rules of European countries, understanding the Italian immigration program will not be difficult: in some ways it is very similar, say, to the Czech one. But it has its own specific features.
The first requirement that a candidate for an Italian residence permit must meet is to be an experienced and qualified professional. Let us emphasize that, unlike Canada or Australia, there are no lists of priority professions in Italy. A person simply must be a specialist in their field, whether it is manufacturing or trade, programming or culinary arts.
Initially, the applicant does not need to prove their professional usefulness to society (as, for example, in Denmark or France). There are even no legally established requirements for education level or age. So, in principle, moving to Italy is accessible both for young people and for retirees; both for gray-haired professors and for their former students.
The second legally stipulated requirement for the candidate is to have ‘references of a moral and economic nature’ (that is exactly how it is formulated in Italian legislation). With morality, it is clear: no country in the world will let in drug dealers, terrorists, and murderers. But, unlike the Czechs, Italians do not require foreigners to provide a ‘certificate of loyalty’ from internal affairs bodies, so you will not have to beat the doorstep of Interior Ministry departments. However, officials will definitely check candidates for permanent residence regarding compliance with Italian and international laws.
References of an economic nature are also a quite understandable requirement. For example, when moving to Canada, a potential immigrant must have sums in the amount of $10,000–$20,000. According to Italian requirements, for an ordinary family of 3–5 people, a sum roughly equal to 70 million lire ($39,000) will be sufficient. This money does not need to be transferred to state accounts or invested in government programs. It remains at the person’s full disposal – the main thing is that it exists.
In fact, one needs to have somewhere and something to live on, qualifications and means to work, and to be a decent person – that is where the conditions end. One cannot call these requirements excessive.
The uniqueness of Italy's immigration policy also lies in the fact that the applicant for a residence permit is not dependent at any stage or to any degree on the opinion of any individual official. While for a successful completion of the immigration process to, say, Canada, you need, among other things, to please the immigration officer conducting the interview at the embassy (otherwise the success of your case is at risk), in Italy the process proceeds almost automatically. If you meet all the above requirements and can document them, the Italian authorities have no right to refuse you. The only reason for refusal could be fake documents and the provision of deliberately false information about yourself.
The necessary elements of the immigration procedure are: creation of your own company in Italy, renting or buying housing, opening and funding bank accounts (personal and corporate), obtaining tax codes (personal and corporate), and finally – acquiring the status of ‘independent professional’. As a result, you gain access to the Italian labor market, grounds for obtaining a visa and residence permit in Italy, and hence – civil and social rights that equal you with Italians.
It is worth noting that the Italian immigration program has another feature that looks extremely attractive in the eyes of Ukrainians, who are mercilessly deceived by fraudulent immigration intermediaries. A necessary condition of the immigration procedure is your personal presence in Italy and personal completion of all stages. In fact, the main part of the process takes place in Italy, not in Ukraine. Some formalities can be delegated to a lawyer, but only some. In any case, you will have to come to Italy – once for about 40 days or twice for a shorter time.
In addition, during the trip you can resolve some issues ‘for the future’: find housing, decide on a business or job, a school or kindergarten for your child, transportation of property, and finally – simply get to know the country better, its customs and traditions.
The entire immigration procedure takes 100 days. In the end, if everything is done competently and correctly, you will receive ‘residence of the Republic of Italy without a set expiration date’ – what we call a permanent residence permit.
Now more details on what exactly each stage of the immigration process entails, as well as what benefits and opportunities the status of ‘signore’ – a legal resident of Italy – promises you. Actually, it all starts with arriving in Italy.
One of the first things to do is to open a bank account. Moreover, this must be done in such a way as to avoid problems with either Italian or Ukrainian legislation. You must deposit into one of the Italian banks the sum already mentioned: for a family of 3-5 people – about 70 million lire (approximately $39.000), and single citizens will need even less. We repeat that these funds do not need to be later invested in any government programs or transferred to state accounts.
The second thing you need to do in Italy is to rent housing. You can also buy, but why rush – after you obtain Italian resident status, this can be done on very favorable terms and on credit. The size and cost of an apartment or house are of relative importance – choose whatever you want. In principle, for $$300-400 per month you can rent a decent apartment, not in the center, of course, but not on the outskirts either. It is equally important to correctly choose and draw up a lease agreement – there are several types in Italy.
Next, you will receive tax codes and many other things – in total, you will need to process more than two dozen documents, each requiring approval, confirmation, and registration with many authorities.
Your next step is to create and activate your own company. Note that this, although important, is just a stage of the immigration process. The main function of the company you create is to provide you access to the Italian labor market. After you obtain a visa and residence permit as a 'self-employed worker' based on owning your own company, there are two paths before you.
You can actually run a business, in particular, conclude trade deals with Ukrainian partners, and then your move to Italy can rightfully be called business immigration. Naturally, this path is primarily of interest to true 'business people' with certain inclinations, experience, and funds. But if you do not have outstanding business abilities, you can refrain from doing business: after a year, sell the company, retaining 2 percent of the shares, and look for work on the local labor market. Moreover, the 'self-employed worker' status obtained during the immigration process fully allows you to do this.
You can get a job anywhere, in one or several Italian companies at once – on the basis of a contract for work or services. Accordingly, you will receive not a salary, but remuneration for specific work performed. But, by and large, what difference does it make what you call the money you are paid – remuneration, salary, or something else? The main thing is that this money is enough for a normal life. And here it is worth noting that a freelance professional in Italy has huge advantages over ordinary workers.
The status of a freelance professional is very high: suffice it to say that only 6 percent of Italians have it. And employers really like to deal with them. First, a freelance professional is always a highly qualified specialist. And second, the company can save considerably on them. Taxes and fees on payments to workers in Italy are very high. By hiring a freelance professional, the employer pays only one tax – 20 percent of the remuneration amount. In gratitude for this saving, the remuneration itself can be very high. And when choosing between an ordinary employee and a freelance professional, any Italian firm or corporation will undoubtedly prefer the latter.
That is perhaps all you need to do during your first visit to Italy. After completing the running around to various authorities (in Italy, literally everything requires approval, confirmation, and registration, so it is practically impossible to handle the immigration process on your own – only with the help of a professional lawyer), you will receive a 'residence of the Republic of Italy without a set expiration date' – a residence permit. And in addition, two very important documents: a Schengen identification card, which will give you the right to freely move, live, and work within the Schengen area, and an Italian passport carta d'identita with one difference: in the 'Citizenship' field, your passport will say 'Resident'.
Thanks to all this, you will become practically a full-fledged member of Italian society. For example, you will be able to enjoy all the benefits of the social security system, which include free medical care from your assigned personal doctor, free education, including higher education, etc. You will have visa-free entry not only to Schengen group countries but also to some other countries, say, Switzerland, Brazil, Argentina.
Your family, including elderly parents and illegitimate children, will be able to move to you just as if they were moving to an Italian citizen. If you have kept your company open, you have the right to hire workers, including foreign ones – for example, to invite Ukrainian colleagues to work in Italy. Naturally, you can travel freely and without any restrictions throughout Italy, own any property there, buy real estate, make investments, in short, do everything that Italians themselves have the right to do.
Perhaps the only obligation that distinguishes you from the local population is a 60-hour Italian language course that you must complete. However, it is foolish to be offended by this. Especially since language courses for immigrants are completely free.