Agreement signed between India-Italy to grant Indian students 1-year residency in Italy

In a significant move, the Union Cabinet recently granted ex-post facto approval for India to sign and ratify the Migration and Mobility Agreement with Italy. This landmark agreement, inked on November 2 by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, is set to empower Indian students with a unique opportunity – temporary residence in Italy for up to one year after completing their studies to gain professional experience.

The primary objective of this agreement is to strengthen people-to-people contacts and foster mobility among students, skilled workers, business professionals, and young talents between India and Italy.
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This will notably solidify the existing Italian visa regime, which will include mechanisms for post-study opportunities, internships, and professional training, offering India a distinct advantage within the current labour mobility pathways under the Flows Decree.
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For Indian students aspiring to gather initial professional experience after their academic or vocational training in Italy, the agreement will offer them a temporary residence in the country for a period of up to 12 months. Italy, in turn, has outlined specific provisions related to professional training, extracurricular internships, and curricular internships, providing a platform for Indian students and trainees to align with Italian skill and training standards.
Further as per the reports, the agreement allocates quotas for non-seasonal and seasonal Indian workers, amounting to 5,000, 6,000, and 7,000, as well as 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000, respectively, for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025 under the current Flows Decree. This provision will further open avenues for Indian workers to contribute to the Italian workforce and gain valuable international experience.

The agreement goes beyond student and worker mobility, formalising joint efforts in advancing mobility pathways through agreements on Youth Mobility. It also addresses the facilitation of recruitment of Indian qualified professionals in the healthcare and medical services sectors. Cooperation between the two parties to fight against irregular migration has been outlined and formalised in the statement as well.

To ensure effective implementation, the agreement establishes a joint working group, facilitating periodic meetings in virtual or physical modes. This mechanism will monitor and oversee the agreement's execution, adding a layer of transparency and accountability to this milestone initiative between India and Italy.