New Delhi: In a significant move benefitting Indian students, Italy has agreed to extend the stay by an additional 12 months for those completing their degrees.
The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given ex-post facto approval to the migration and mobility agreement between India and Italy.
The agreement aims to strengthen people-to-people contacts, promote student mobility, and enhance cooperation on issues related to irregular migration, as reported by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday.
The current provisions of the Italian visa regime, including post-study opportunities, internships, and professional training, will be secured under the Flows Decree, providing India with an advantage.
Key Provisions:
Indian students completing academic or vocational training in Italy can now stay for up to 12 months to gain initial professional experience.
For the workforce, Italy has allocated quotas of 5,000, 6,000, and 7,000 non-seasonal Indian workers for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, under the current Flows Decree (with a total reserved quota of 12,000 for non-seasonal workers).
Additionally, Italy has set aside quotas of 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 seasonal Indian workers for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025 under the current Flows Decree (with a total reserved quota of 8,000 for seasonal workers).
Italy has established distinct provisions for professional training, extracurricular internships, and curricular internships, allowing Indian students and trainees to gain experience in line with Italian skill and training standards.
Under the Flows Decree, Italy has suggested increasing reserved quotas for both seasonal and non-seasonal workers from 2023 to 2025. Additionally, the agreement formalizes collaborative efforts to enhance mobility pathways between India and Italy. This involves discussions on youth mobility and facilitating the recruitment of Indian-qualified professionals in the healthcare and medical services sectors, addressed under the Joint Working Group (JWG). The agreement also establishes cooperation between the two countries to combat irregular migration. It will remain in force for five years and will automatically renew for a similar successive period unless terminated by any participant.
To oversee the agreement, a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be established, meeting periodically in virtual or physical mode as convenient to oversee its implementation. The JWG will share relevant information, assess the implementation of the agreement, and discuss appropriate proposals to support its implementation as needed.
The agreement was signed on November 2, 2023, with Dr. S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, representing the Indian government, and Shri Antonio Tajani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, representing the Italian government.