Here is your first Forum » Immigration to Italy

Introducing Italy, considered the gateway to European countries, with several major international airports, Italian rail links and ferry terminals. At the beginning of 2017, 5,047,028 foreign nationals lived in the country. It is believed to be only 8.2% of the country's population, with a slight increase over the past year. Italian residents also included Italian-born children of foreigners - 14.9% of all births in the country. However, around 6,200,000 people with a migration background live in Italy. This includes about 60% of the immigrants living in the northern part, about 26% in the central part and about 16% in the southern regions.

The official currency of Italy is the euro (EUR). Italy is a core member state of the European Union and Schengen Area, which offers many advantages to its residents. Currently, Italy has several ongoing business immigration programs as Italian immigration law allows foreigners to enter the country and engage in self-employment by obtaining a residence permit in Italy or by participating in one of the investor visa programs.

Immigration services
The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Civil Liberties and Immigration are responsible for immigration services in Italy. Italy is a civil law jurisdiction that adheres to both community rules and international rules. Since Italian immigration law allows foreigners to enter the country to carry out business activities, it is necessary to obtain a residence permit or entry visa from the Italian consulate in their country of residence. Joining the investor visa program mentioned above requires investing in Italian government bonds, equity instruments or financing in one of the public projects. There is also an Elective Residence Visa (ERV) for people wishing to live in Italy without working.

In addition, the visa programs for Italian investors include opportunities such as obtaining the Italia Startup Visa, the Italia Startup Hub. These apply to applicants who have at least EUR 50,000 to run the company or at least EUR 100,000 to join an existing startup. These opportunities are aimed at business people who have a corporate purpose related to technological innovation related to the specific business area.

However, if you are not an EU citizen, you will need a temporary residence permit to stay in Italy for more than 3 months. This means that anyone wishing to enter Italy to stay, work or study there for more than 90 days must have a long-term visa or entry permit issued by the aforementioned Italian authorities.