Quedan cubiertos los siguientes gastos, con las limitaciones que se indican:

With the EU-Turkey refugee deal in place in March 2016, Italy surpassed Greece in seaborne arrivals of people from the Mediterranean. Unlike Greece, Italy must cope with arrivals from not only the Middle East, but from Africa as well. In order to determine the efficacy of Italy’s asylum policy, it is first necessary to conduct a policy overview. Italy’s policy concerning asylee benefits warrants further examination to assess the prospects of economic integration. Finally, Italian policy on refugees does not exist solely in the context of domestic policy, as it must interface with the European Union, specifically concerning the Dublin Regulation and proposed EU refugee relocation programs. The interplay of domestic and international policy creates a precarious situation for Italy as a host nation to refugees and helps to further muddy the waters when it comes to finding an effective long term solution for the current crisis.

In 2015, over 150,000 migrants reached the shores of Italy.313 _{During the first} nine months of 2015, Italy processed nearly 60,000 asylum or temporary protection applications, of which the Italian government rejected over 24,000.314 _{Another 50,000} applications were in the queue for state review by the end of September 2015.315 _The countries of origin for asylum applications in Italy are, in descending order, Nigeria, Gambia, Pakistan, Senegal, Bangladesh, Mali, Afghanistan, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire,

313 Maria de Donato, “Country Report: Italy,” Asylum Information Database, Italian Council for Refugees, December 22, 2015, ed. European Council on Refugees and Exiles,

http://www.asylumineurope.org/reports/country/italy: 12. 314 Ibid., 6.

Guinea, Syria, Eritrea, Somalia, and Kosovo.316 _{The majority of applications of people} from Afghanistan, Guinea, Syria, Eritrea, and Somalia gained approval, while over 50% of the other asylum requests were rejected.317 _{It is reasonable to assume that the} approximately 50,000 who entered Italy and did not put in an application for asylum either moved on to other countries in Europe or remained in Italy outside of the official cognizance of the Italian government. Nearly 90% of the processed applications originated with men, regardless of country of origin.318

The process for claiming asylum in Italy is fairly straightforward on paper, but in actuality is lengthy and onerous. The application process starts at either the border, or in regional offices within Italy.319 _{Italian law establishes no time limit on when a person} may file a claim for asylum, but suggests a “general rule” of filing a claim within eight days of entering Italy.320 _{In the regional offices, those seeking asylum formally register} after the completion of fingerprints and photographs.321 _{While police cannot assess the} legitimacy of asylum claims, they do ask a series of questions to determine if an asylum- seeker’s application falls under the auspices of the Dublin Regulation.322 _{Provided that} Italy is the country that holds the responsibility for processing an asylum request, the asylum-seeker will return to the regional office for further paperwork.323 _{The regional} police offices will then forward the necessary paperwork to Territorial Commissions or Sub-commissions for International Protection (Commissioni territoriali per il riconoscimento della protezione internazionale) (CTRPI) who are “the only authorities competent for the substantive asylum interview” and who work under the guidance of the “National Commission for the Right of Asylum (Commissione nazionale per il diritto di

316 Ibid.

317 Ibid. 318 Ibid., 7. 319 Ibid., 17.

320 de Donato, “Country Report: Italy,” 18. 321 Ibid.

322 Ibid. 323 Ibid.

asilo) (CNDA).”324 _{This entire process can take up to eighteen months before a decision} is made regarding an asylum-seeker.325 _{Expedited procedures exist when a number of} criteria are met by an asylum seeker and can drastically reduce the amount of time taken to make a decision regarding a particular application.326 _{Those denied asylum are told to} vacate the country voluntarily, but many do not possess the means to do so.327

In principle, asylum seekers have nearly unrestricted access to most services available to Italian citizens; in practice, however, the Italian state is severely limited in its ability to provide adequate support to asylum seekers. First, asylum seekers are allowed to work 60 days after making their asylum requests.328 _{Integration and vocational} programs provided by various entities, including the national government and local governments, help transition asylum seekers into the Italian workforce.329 _Vocational training typically entails 30 hours per week of classes coupled with language instruction.330 _{In addition to access to the Italian labor market, asylum seekers have} access to health care and education to the same extent as Italian citizens.331 _Integration programs are also available within primary schools for newly arrived asylum seekers.332 Finally, asylum seekers are also provided with legal assistance vis-a-vis their applications, but of the benefits provided, this is one of the hardest to actually obtain due to the diversity of the people applying for asylum and the limitations of the Italian government.333 _{On paper, Italy possesses a fairly robust support system for asylum} seekers. The practice of such policy is rife with problems inherent in the system, the

324 Ibid.

325 Ibid., 19. 326 Ibid., 19.

327 Diego Cupolo, “NGO Workers Denounce Italian Hotspot System,” Deutsche Welle, May 18, 2016, http://www.dw.com/en/ngo-workers-denounce-italian-hotspot-system/a-19264701.

328 de Donato, “Country Report: Italy,” 80. 329 Ibid., 81.

330 Ibid. 331 Ibid., 82. 332 Ibid. 333 Ibid., 34.

nature and magnitude of the crisis, and external political forces that also have a stake in the outcome of the challenge.