MIGRATION

Italian police smash Ghanaian illegal immigration ring

Italian authorities have broken up a network facilitating illegal immigration from Ghana to Italy, the Italian news agency ANSA has reported.  The group is said to have  a contact point in Ghana which facilitated migration to Italy and other countries using false documents. ANSA reported that police carried out three arrest warrants issued by the preliminary investigation judge at the …

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More than 80,000 applications submitted for residency regularisation in Italy

A total of 80,366 applications for migrant regularisation in Italy have been submitted in the first month of the scheme, which began on 1 June as part of post-COVID-19 relaunch measures. The vast majority of the cases have already been processed. However, the Italian interior ministry said the number of applications is continually growing. Applications for migrant regularisation have picked …

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“EU wants migrants to drown,” says German humanitarian activist Carola Rackete

Carola Rackete, 32, is a ship captain who works for the German sea rescue organisation Sea-Watch. She gained international fame in June 2019, when as captain of Sea-Watch 3, she rescued a total of 53 migrants in distress from the Mediterranean Sea. And after weeks of waiting for approval  despite a ban by Italian authorities, she piloted the rescue ship …

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European court condemns France over asylum-seekers sleeping rough in the streets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday condemned France for the “inhuman and degrading living conditions” of three asylum-seekers who were “living in the street without any resources”. The Strasbourg-based court ruled that authorities “had failed in their duties” with regard to the three asylum-seekers, finding France responsible for the conditions in which the three men – an …

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Asylum applications in the EU rise for first time since 2015, new report reveals

Asylum applications in Europe increased by 11% in 2019 compared with the previous year. The European asylum support office expects the overall rise to continue, despite the current pandemic-related slump. Asylum applications in the EU account for one-third of the global total. Charlotte Hauswedell/InfoMigrant reports In 2019, asylum applications in EU+ countries rose by 11% compared with the year before …

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COVID-19: Germany invests €40 million in digital integration courses for migrants

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) says it has spent some €40 million on digital offerings to bridge the interruption of integration and language courses caused by COVID-19. According to BAMF, close to a quarter million migrants in Germany are currently having to pause their courses. Benjamin Bathke reports — Many government services in Germany have been suspended …

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Immigrants often fail German language tests, new report reveals

In Germany, almost half of first-time participants don’t successfully complete their German language courses. A parliamentary inquiry also showed that the share of those who failed tests has steadily been increasing since 2017. According to the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper, almost half of first-time participants in German language tests for immigrants (“Deutschtest für Zuwanderer“, or DTZ) did not successfully complete …

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More than 50 sub-Saharan African migrants die in shipwreck near Tunisia

The number of bodies recovered from a shipwreck off Tunisia has risen to 53. The African country is both a transit country for migrants from other African countries and a source of Europe-bound migrants. Benjamin Bathke/InfoMigrant reports Following the capsizing of a migrant boat off the coast of Tunisia last week, at least 53 bodies have been recovered. That’s according …

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Coronavirus: Don’t forget asylum-seekers and refugees in Germany – Activist appeals

As Germany grapples with the coronavirus crisis, Chuks Lewis Ehiwario,  migrant rights activist and Vice Chairman, Foreigners Advisory Council of the city of Kassel, makes a case for refugees and asylum-seekers whose situation seems to be forgotten in the public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic: —– Today, our way of life has changed because of COVID-19 and the …

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Italy’s amnesty for undocumented migrants explained

Italy’s government has announced its amnesty programme for migrants without papers. Thousands of irregular migrants in the country will be issued residence permit under the scheme, part of a package of measures to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus on the country. Italy’s coalition government finally reached an agreement on Wednesday (14 May) to approve provisional changes to the …

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Italy to regularise 600,000 undocumented migrants

A week after Pope Francis said undocumented migrants working as farmhands in Italy should be granted legal status, the government may soon issue legal residency papers to up to 600,000 irregular migrants in the country, according to a new report of the Italian news agency ANSA — The Italian minister for agricultural policies, Teresa Bellanova, wants to introduce a measure …

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Germany: New centre facilitates recognition of foreign qualifications of skilled immigrants

A new centre, offering advice to migrants on how to get their qualifications recognised in Germany, aims to help skilled workers from abroad to fill gaps in the German labour market. Reports by Emma Wallis “We want to welcome you to Germany,” said Germany’s Employment Minister Hubertus Heil during a workshop following the opening of Bonn’s new service centre. The …

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Pope Francis calls for regularisation of undocumented migrants

Pope Francis has said undocumented migrants working as farmhands in Italy should be granted legal status. The pontiff was responding to a request from a union representing farm workers, asking him to comfort and encourage workers in the midst of the coronavirus emergency. Pope Francis has expressed his desire for the legalisation of undocumented immigrants exploited as farmhands amid the …

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Coronavirus: Germany implements strict measures in asylum-seekers’ hostels

Many migrants living in asylum shelters in Germany have tested positive for the coronavirus (Covid-19). Strict social distancing measures to combat the virus outbreak are hard to adopt in centres where people live together in tight spaces, reports Charlotte Hauswedell Germany has imposed strict rules on social distancing, and some federal states have ordered lockdowns in a bid to prevent …

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70% of Nigerian irregular migrants from Edo State, says UNHCR

Seventy per cent of people irregularly migrating from Nigeria are from Edo State, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said. UNHCR’s Senior Liaison Officer, Amah Assiama-Hillgartner, stated this in Benin, the state capital, during the agency’s Telling the Real Story (TRS) meeting on Thursday. She described Nigeria as the country of transit and trafficking of irregular emigrants, …

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German court rules against lesbian Ugandan asylum-seeker’s deportation

In Uganda, LGBT+ people face life in prison as well as violence and discrimination in private and public life. Following a deportation trial, German authorities have granted refugee status to a Ugandan lesbian. A hearing at a Bavarian courthouse on Monday over the asylum application of a lesbian woman from Uganda was thrown out after she was granted her refugee …

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Europe’s borders are not open for refugees coming from Turkey – German government

The German government has issued a strong rebuttal to Turkey’s claim that ‘the door is open’ to Europe. Thousands of people have rushed to the land and sea borders between Turkey and Greece, but few have managed to cross. Turkey’s announcement last week that it would open its borders with Greece to migrants trying to enter Europe has resulted in …

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