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Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration: an Italian
perspective
AVRR In Italy: an historical background
• Early 1990’s: AVRR appeared in the Italian system. Introduced after migration flows started coming from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, following the fall of the Communist regimes in and the war in Former Yugoslavia
• Late 1990’s: AVRR became an instrument to assist Victims of Trafficking wishing to return to their country of origin, deciding not to follow the integration pathways foreseen by the Italian system
• From the end of the 90’s: increased landings on the Italian coasts. AVRR started including rejected asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection (only when the situation of the countries of origin ensures a safe return)
• Approval of Directive 2008/115/EC: Italy startsimplementing it by opening AVRR measures to irregularmigrants• Institution of AMIF fund: AVRR measures opened to regular
migrants holding a residence permit who want to return• At the present time: all Third Country nationals can apply
for AVRR except some categories excluded by IOM internalrules and by the Italian Law, such as: migrants staying irregularly in Italy and receiving a decree of
expulsion with the order of leaving the country in 7-30 days, andnot complying with the order;
migrants receiving a decree of expulsion as a consequence of acriminal conviction;
Migrants involved in a criminal proceeding;Migrants committing particularly serious crimes
Current projets managed by IOM Italy
• A project financed through direct allocation of national funds by the Italian Ministry of Interior, aiming at reaching as many potential AVRR beneficiaries as possible by deploying IOM Regional Counselors on the Italian Territory
• In the framework of AMIF, and co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Interior, IOM Italy is managing 2 AVRR projects:
a project to assist migrants wishing to return to their country of origin
a project aiming at creating an AVRR network on the Italian territory
AVRR –what does it offer?
• Pre-departure counseling – Evaluation of the legitimacy of the request
• Travel organization, purchase of the tickets and airport assistance upon departure and in transit/upon arrival (if needed)
• Assistance in the issuance of travel documents at the respective consulates of the Countries of origin.
• Provision of an individual 400 EUR in-cash reinstallation grant to be awarded upon departure, for every departing migrant
• Provision of an in-kind reintegration allowance: 1600 EUR for singles and heads of families
800 EUR for adult family members
480 EUR for underage family members
• Monitoring activities in the mid-long term
Returnees with medical needs
• Currently, medical cases represents more or less 10 % of all returns
• After we send the application: IOM AVRR team doctor shares all medical documents regarding the returnee with IOM medical staff of the destination country for the authorization to proceed with the return
• IOM medical staff sets down the condition of the travel, assessing the feasibility and the sustainability of the return
• Medical grant: IOM Rome doctor makes an evaluation on the situation of the returnee (family, type of disease, treatment duration, etc.) and assignes him a in-kind grant whose amount depends on the needs of the returnee
• The in-kind grant amounts up to 2000 EUR and can be used for medications, examinations, medical devices, etc.: it makes the return more sustainable
Challenges with medical cases
• Some returnees do not spend the medical grant, especially those with mental problems, heart problems, etc.
• Some of them need to use the grant after the closure of the projects
• Differences among health systems have a great impact on the sustainability of the return
• Returns of migrants travelling with stretchers are very expensive
• Airlines are reluctant to accept returns of sensitive cases
• Very difficult to find enough physicians and nurses to escort the returnees until final destination
• Sustainability of the return of medical cases: difficult to assess
Travel Organization and Departure of the migrant
‘QUESTURA’State police
-It implements the checks foreseen
by the law
-Veryifing that migrantis in possession of
a valid identificationdocument
-Issues opinionsto the’Prefettura’
IOM
- Collects the documents
- Counselling
- Evaluates the legitimacy of the request
- Send the application
- Assists the migrantin requesting documents
at their Consulates
‘PREFETTURA’Ministry of Interior
-Evaluates the outcome of the preliminary checks.
-It defines the acceptanceor the rejection
of the application
- Produces and sendsthe admission decision
to IOM office
Assisted voluntary returns’ management: Decentralization
IOM
Reintegration assistance in the country of origin
-Monitoring
IOM in Italy and in the country of origin
In Italy:
- Collection of the Individual Reintegration Plan
- Preliminary evaluation of the Individual Reintegration Plan
- Close cooperation with IOM Mission in the country of origin in assessing the feasibility and adequacy of the amounts.
- Approval of the Individual Reintegration Plan
In the Country of origin
- Interview with the migrant and support in the implementation process
- Purchase of goods and services
- Monitoring after six months
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability Report
July 2016 –November 2017
0
50
100
150
200
250
Irregular Overstayers Asylum seekerslodging an
appeal
Rejectedasylum seekers
Asylum seekers Residence cardholders
Residencepermit holders
Internationalprotection
723 people assisted in total – 60 different nationalities
July 2016 –November 2017
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Nigeria Bangladesh Ghana Senegal Peru Serbia El Salvador Ecuador Pakistan Brazil
723 people assisted in total – 60 different nationalities
TOP 10 COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN(number of returns) - PARTIR VI
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Bangladesh Perù Ghana Nigeria Ecuador Senegal BurkinaFaso
Pakistan Brasile Marocco
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Perù Ecuador Bangladesh Brasile Marocco El Salvador Senegal Ghana Nigeria India
TOP 10 COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN(number of returns) - PARTIR V
House / rental8%
House restructuring19%
House / appliances8%
education1%
Rearing 14%
Agriculture2%
Trade/Shop29%
Taxi - transport8%
Catering4%
Services and others6%
Medical assist1%
House / rental
House restructuring
House / appliances
education
Rearing
Agriculture
Trade/Shop
Taxi - transport
Catering
Services and others
Medical assist
Reintegration allowance
Reintegration activities: the business component
Rearing/Breeding 22%
Agriculture3%
Trade/Shop47%
Taxi - transport12%
Catering6%
Services and others10%
Rearing
Agriculture
Trade/Shop
Taxi - transport
Catering
Services and others
SUBSIDIES ALLOCATIONS ACCORDING TO ASSISTANCE CATEGORY 2010-2015
Partir II Partir III, III bis, III ter
Partir IV Partir V Partir VI %TOT. assistedmigrants
Set up ofBusiness activity
59,13% 54,05% 56,64% 46,79% 51,02% 53%
House renovationand furniture
21,59% 24,60% 27,22% 34,07% 21,93% 25%
Medical Care 5,24% 7,23% 3,65% 3,64% 3,86% 8%
Primary Goods 5,13% 4,21% 2,02% 4,50% 12,17% 5%
House rent 4,57% 7,00% 7,91% 8,48% 9,37% 7%
Education and vocationaltraining
4,34% 2,91% 2,56% 2,52% 1,66% 2%
Economic Activity sector 2010-2015
Business Sector Partir II Partir III Partir IV Partir V Partir VI % TOT. assisted migrants
Market (food, clothes, etc.)
42,17% 36,23% 42,50% 47,82% 53% 44%
Agriculture(farming andcultivation)
20,85% 17,98% 8,92% 12,31% 21% 16%
Services Sector(gardening,
hairdresser, internet point)
14,34% 20,38% 22,02% 15,21% 14% 17%
Taxi and transport sector
14,25% 15,43% 14,83% 13,64% 5% 13%
Catering (fast-food, snack, bar)
8,39% 9,98% 11,73% 11,02% 7% 10%
RE.V.ITA - Rete Ritorno Volontario Italia(Italian Voluntary Return Network)
Objective: promote the access to Assisted Voluntary Return andReintegration for Third Country Nationals hosted in Italy through thereinforcement of the national referral network on returns
Duration: 01/06/2017 – 31/12/2019
Extent: all the Italian regions
Beneficiaries: intermediate beneficiaries (operators and localstakeholders)
RE.V.ITA - activities1. Deployment of 21 Focal Points in all Italian regions. These figures realize information and
training sessions on AVRR measures and the AVRR projects presently active in Italy for local
migration stakeholders;
2. Activation of a toll-free number that answers to queries on AVRR and active projects in the
main languages spoken by migrants in Italy;
3. Creation and distribution of an information leaflet advertising the toll-free number and the
active AVRR projects. The information will be written in Italian, English, French, Arabic,
Bengali and Hindi;
4. Creation and distribution of a handbook on AVRR for migration stakeholders;
5. Mapping of the local migration stakeholders (associations and other bodies operating in the
area of assistance to migrants) that could potentially carry out information and referral
activities for AVRR projects in Italy;
Role of regional Focal Points
Focal Points are regional representatives onAVRR, working in close coordination with theinstitutions involved in voluntary returnprograms (Prefetture, Questure, ecc.) andpromoting information and training sessionsdedicated to NGOs, organizations, etc. dealingwith migrants, in order to extend the AVRRreferral network
Information sessions
Who are they aimed at?
Public authority officials, NGO operators, peopleworking in the field of migration in general (localbodies, reception centers, associations, diasporas, etc.),identified through local authorities
Objective:
Promote AVRR projects, reinforce and extend AVRRreferral network
Training sessions
Who are they aimed at?
Public authority officials, NGO operators, peopleworking in the field of migration in general (localbodies, reception centers, associations, diasporas, etc.),identified through local authorities
Objective:
Capacity building on AVRR on the territory
Handbook on AVRR
Counselling techniques
EU legislation on AVRR
National legislation
Eligible categories of migrants
Explain the procedure
Reintegration assistance in the country oforigin
Mapping
Identification of private and public bodies dealingwith migration, in order to meet the demand forAVRR on a geographic basis and assist potentialbeneficiaries
Promotion of a management model that ensurescoordination among the different stakeholders onthe territory, trying to create a link between thereferral entity and the territory in order to betterhandle the returns
Free-toll number
• Objectives of the number are to:
inform officials and operators working in the field of migration on AVRR measures;
address potential beneficiaries to the closest NGO/association/local authority dealing with AVRR
• The service is available in many foreign languages
• From Monday to Friday with the following schedule: 09:00-13:00 and 14:00 – 18:00
• In case the number operator is not available, it’s possible to leave messages in order to be recontacted
• The Ministry of Interior asked IOM Rome to stimulate AVRR
on the Italian territory by deploying further figures in the
various regions: the Regional Counselors
• The project is financed through direct allocation of national
funds
• They are «itinerant IOM offices»: they have cars, laptops,
cellphones and work with potential final beneficiaries
interested in AVRR
• They work in coordination with IOM Rome AVRR main office
A new figure: the Regional Counselor
• The role of the Regional Counselors is to:
Intercept potential final beneficiaries on the territory;
Carry out individual counseling sessions;
Follow the application procedure, interfacing with Prefettura and Questura in
order to support them in speeding up the preliminary checks;
Organize informative sessions with potential final beneficiaries and diasporas;
Support AVRR referral network in managing the applications;
Assist the beneficiaries in the issuance of the travel documents;
Disseminate informational material (leaflets, posters) in meeting/aggregation
places (migrant associations, diasporas, reception centers, etc.)
Regional Counselors – the activities
• Focal Points:
Work part-time;
Deal with intermediate
beneficiaries and migration
stakeholders (NGOs, local
authorities, etc.)
Aim at extending the AVRR
referral network
Regional institutional
intermediaries on AVRR
• Regional counselors:
Work full-time;
Deal with potential final
beneficiaries, in
coordination with
stakeholders
Aim at intercepting and
assisting potential
beneficiaries
Operative intermediaries
Focal Points vs. Regional Counselors
• Invest on training of the so-called intermediate beneficiaries, in order to promote AVRR and transmit the necessary information to the final beneficiaries
• Fight the traditional reluctance to AVRR among the operators
• Adapt AVRR to the variable migration scenario: new beneficiaries, new trends!
• Provide a simpler and faster system for the approval procedures from the competent authorities (Questura, Prefettura)
• Invest on the reintegration contribution by providing support and training before and after the migrant’s return in order to prepare and foster a sustainable reintegration.
• Develop further forms of financial support to sustain the beneficiaries’ business (promote the access to microcredit) in the countries of origin
AVRR: the Italian challenges
