Italy's Meloni Blames Organised Crime for 'Alarming' Migrant Visa Fraud
News 18Criminal gangs are exploiting loopholes in Italy’s legal visa system for foreign workers to smuggle in illegal immigrants, a problem the anti-mafia prosecutor should investigate, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told her cabinet on Tuesday. “In the face of the exorbitant number of applications, only a very small percentage of the foreigners who obtained work visas actually signed a work contract, less than 3% in Campania,” Meloni said in a speech forwarded by her office. She said this was evidence that “organized crime groups” had infiltrated the management of applications to obtain visas for migrants who had no right to enter Italy, in return for payments of around 15,000 euros. “In 2023, work visas were six times higher than the quotas set by the government, and only 23.52% have turned into residence permits and stable, regular employment,” Ero Straniero said in a statement.
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Italy blocks over 3,300 work permits, cracks down on mafia-owned migrant trafficking ring
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