Italy: New migrant help center in Palermo
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.
citizenship
Italy: Palermo puts migrant children center stage
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.
'She's more Italian than us': Carmela, a child of migrant parents in Sicily
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.
Italy: Debate over birthright citizenship reform following Olympics
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.
Italy: Salvini presents new department for integration
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 wants citizenship for all children born 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.
Germany: 'Origin unestablished' for more than 470 asylum seekers
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.
Make becoming a German citizen easier, integration ministers urge
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.
Italy: Government measure 'prevents regularization' of migrants, NGOs say
Over 20 migrants' rights organizations have sent a letter to the Italian government to ask for the withdrawal of a regulation which they claim "hinders the regularization" of migrants, "harming those who want to emerge from invisibility."
Protest in Denmark against deportations of Syrians
About 1,000 people gathered outside the Danish parliament in Copenhagen on Wednesday to protest against the government’s plans to repatriate some Syrians who come from the area around the capital Damascus.
Denmark raises the bar on citizenship
Denmark plans to tighten the conditions for citizenship, after a deal struck between the government and three opposition parties. The country already has one of the most restrictive immigration policies in Europe.
Netherlands urged to end ordeal for stateless child
The rights of a 10-year-old boy were denied when the Netherlands failed to acknowledge that he was stateless and eligible for international protection, a UN committee has found. It is the first such decision on the right of children to acquire nationality.