The Irish government has approved a plan set to regularize up to 17,000 undocumented migrants already in Ireland. The scheme begins in January with a six-month window in which applicants can apply.
Germany’s incoming government has presented its plans for the next four years. This includes many changes for migrants and refugees – including an easier path to citizenship and family reunification.
Players of a basketball team in Castel Voltuno (Caserta, Italy) have been barred from taking part in the U17 and U19 national championships because they are not Italian citizens. The decision by the Italian Basketball Federation has sparked controversy and a political debate about discrimination.
Italy saw a huge drop in the number of residence permits issued to people from outside the EU in 2020. But the number applying to become Italian citizens went up.
A new service is set to open in the city of Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily. It aims to help migrants in applying for residence permits, entrance visas, citizenship, and family reunification.
Veteran mayor Leoluca Orlando has transformed the Sicilian capital from a Mafia stronghold into a beacon of migrants' rights, and opera has been key. But Palermo's inclusive vision may be about to die.
For Carmela -- born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents but then adopted by a white, Italian family -- the Rainbow Choir has opened a door straight to the heart of Italian culture and society. But even this innovative scheme, a flagship project of the Consulta della Cultura, is no skeleton key to being accepted in Italy.
In Italy, the Olympic Committee chief has sparked a renewed debate over citizenship law by demanding reforms so young athletes born to foreign parents can compete for Italy. Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese has indicated that she's open to discussing 'ius soli' (birthright citizenship) for athletes and others, drawing criticism from Matteo Salvini.
League leader Matteo Salvini has presented a new department of integration and relations with foreign communities in Italy. He said his party wants to become "a political and cultural reference point for all foreign communities in Italy."
UNICEF is calling on Italy to reform its citizenship rules. The UN children's agency demands a birthright law (also known as "Jus soli"), which would grant Italian citizenship to children from migrant and refugee families.
German authorities were unable to establish the origins of more than 470 people seeking asylum last year. Meanwhile, fewer rejected asylum seekers have been deported due to the pandemic.
Easier child access to German citizenship has been floated by integration ministers of Germany's 16 states. But the idea is likely to face opposition from federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.