Brokers designated through the use of Italy's coercive sponsorship visas are alleged to be embezzling millions of taka through illicit means.
As per the preliminary announcement of the three-year labor recruitment program, Italy will recruit 151,000 workers in the coming year. In an effort to alleviate the labor crisis, the Italian government has decided to recruit 452,000 workers from 33 non-European countries between 2023 and 2025. In pursuit of this target, many applicants have begun the process of obtaining sponsorship visas, particularly during December’s Click Day.
However, amidst this, the network of brokers has become active once again. Allegations suggest that they are exploiting this opportunity by using fraudulent sponsorship visas to siphon off millions of taka, just like before. Several copies of these fraudulent sponsorship visas have been uncovered.
In such a scenario, community leaders and Bangladeshi expatriates are urging caution regarding the verification and selection of visas and transactions.
According to sources from the Italian Ministry of Interior, approximately 700,000 applications were received during the Click Days held on March 18, 21, and 25 across three categories.
Among these, on March 18, 243,883 applied, on March 21, 112,440 applied, and on March 25, the highest number of applications, 332,724, were received.
In the coming year, Italy will recruit 151,000 and 136,000 workers in two phases.