In the past, Italy has already carried out several immigration amnesties. However, the number of people applying for legal status far exceeded the established quotas. Two months ago, 500,000 migrants applied for 180,000 residence permits. And these data show that the number of foreigners living in Italy is much higher than official statistics indicate.
Paolo Ferrero, a member of the Communist Refoundation Party of Italy, blames strict immigration laws adopted at the proposal of the previous government led by Silvio Berlusconi for this state of affairs. In his words, current legislation makes legal immigration to Italy impossible.
Most Italian politicians recognize that many thousands of illegal immigrants work in local shops and restaurants. In many regions of Italy, especially in the north of the country, there is a massive shadow labor market. Some migrants arrive in Italy legally. However, obtaining an annual work permit can sometimes take a year and a half, and many foreigners simply do not apply for them.
According to sociologists, a majority of Italians support the expulsion of illegal immigrants. However, at the same time, two-thirds of the country's residents believe that people who have jobs should get an official right to live in Italy.