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Authorizations to enter for third country nationals in need of protection who wouldn’t be otherwise entitled to enter for ordinary reasons (work, study, tourism, family reunification, etc.).
What it is about
Afghan women and men who can no longer enjoy their fundamental human rights after the Talibans seized power; refugees trapped in Libya because of blockade and pushbacks funded and coordinated by Italian authorities; unaccompanied minors, victims of trafficking who accept to voluntary return to their countries of origin in order to save themselves.
These are some categories of individuals who cannot escape from their own country or from a transit country in which they suffer serious violations of their rights. Indeed, the most vulnerable third country nationals find it often more difficult to leave the countries where their livelihood and enjoyment of fundamental freedoms are jeopardized.
Although some humanitarian corridors have been organized by civil society to take families, refugees, minors, and disabled people to Italy, unfortunately, this system does not measure up to the needs of all people on the run. These are very important projects, but they rely on the capacity and internal procedures of the organizations that put them in place, and these are not procedures that are open to scrutiny and challengeable through legal means.
In many situations, these people cannot apply for an ordinary entry visa for which it is necessary the existence of a job, a family member, or a course of studies in Italy, and in any case, a guarantee of return in the country of origin, where they are likely to suffer inhuman treatment and serious violations of their rights.
For this reason, article 25 of the EU Visa Code stipulates that a humanitarian visa can be exceptionally issued on humanitarian grounds or by virtue of international obligations, which undoubtedly include the right to asylum.
The potential of this remedy is clear: third country nationals who need international protection or who are vulnerable can directly apply for an entry visa to the Embassy, on one hand without having to put themselves into dangerous journeys, and on the other without having to rely upon entry procedures which are uncontrollable and uncertain.
What has been done
Members of ASGI, both in the context of the Oruka project and in their autonomous work, submitted requests of entry for humanitarian and protection reasons, in accordance with Article 10, paragraph 3 of the Italian Constitution and, in case of rejection, presented appealed to the Civil Court of Rome in order to issue the relevant visa.
Below is an overview of the main threads of litigation that were carried out or that will be pursued in the upcoming months.
- Refugees, human rights defenders, activists and victims of trafficking stuck in Libya. UNHCR is the UN agency with the mandate to interview asylum seekers in Libya, examine their applications, evacuate them to Niger or Rwanda, and facilitate their resettlement in EU countries. However, this channel of exit is not accessible to everyone and it’s not possible to challenge any decision taken within these programmes. For this reason, there are instances of people recognized as refugees by UNHCR but not evacuated because no EU Member State is willing to welcome them, Sudanese activists who fought for their right to be evacuated, Nigerian women victims of trafficking whom UNHCR does not record as asylum seekers. Humanitarian entry visas have been requested for people in such conditions because blockade policies prevented them from accessing other forms of protection and asylum.
- Refugees returned to Libya thanks to Italy’s cooperation. Pushbacks against people fleeing from Libya are still underway due to the Italy-Libya Memorandum of Understanding. Italy keeps providing logistical support to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard and continues to coordinate rescue operations, also through the Italian Navy vessel based in Tripoli. Although these returns are physically carried out by Libyan authorities, they actually consist of pushbacks delegated by Italy, which must entirely take responsibility. Victims of these pushbacks can ask for authorization to enter Italy and apply for protection, as it should have happened had Italy fulfilled its obligations under international law. This experimental litigation is currently ongoing, and it faces severe limitations. This applies for example to people who have been returned to Libya by an Italian vessel or to cases where the Italian rescue coordination center was alerted and did not intervene, delegating the rescue to Libya.
- Victims of trafficking and minors returned to their country of origin by IOM. As we have seen in the dedicated factsheet, the most vulnerable refugees (minors and victims of trafficking) often accept to return to their countries of origin to escape from the violence and endless detention they face in Libya. In many cases, there is no proper assessment of the risks upon return. Voluntary returns of victims of trafficking and minors are funded by the Italian government, which does not ask IOM to provide guarantees and for this reason, it often happens that people who would be protected in Italy are instead returned to dangerous places. In the light of this violation of an obligation to protect, which is binding regardless of people’s presence in Italy, it is possible to ask for their entry in Italy to ensure their safety.
- Afghan refugees and human rights defenders persecuted after the Talibans’ seizure of power. Despite the first negative decisions by the Civil Court of Rome, members of ASGI continue to ask to grant humanitarian visas for those who intend to escape from Afghanistan. In spite of the great effort shown by the Italian government in the first days after the fall of the Western-backed government, to date only 300 people have succeeded to enter Italy thanks to the perseverance and work of the civil society organizations involved in the humanitarian corridors.
What else can be done
Applying for a humanitarian visa and for the authorization to enter for exercising the right of asylum for every third country national victim of blockade policy is essential to react to the increasingly totalizing forms of expulsion of refugees from European territory.
Externalization policies aim to keep third country nationals away so that, not being on European territory, they cannot enjoy those rights that would be granted if they were here (first of all the right to asylum). Subsequently, asking for safe entry procedures into European territory through visa applications in Embassies is the tool thanks to which everyone can enter Italy, under clear rules and challengeable decisions, and have their legal status assessed.
If they are in touch with third country nationals who have been returned Libya, trafficked women or minors returned to or stuck in Libya, refugees whose resettlement application was denied, Afghan nationals or other people fleeing from conflicts, legal advisors and lawyers can apply for humanitarian visas and, in case of rejection, they can lodge an appeal to the Civil Court of Rome to request an order to issue the relevant visa.
Members of Parliament can demand the introduction of legislation that binds Italy to evaluate humanitarian visa applications, also by providing a specific administrative procedure.