ROME In May 2020, Italy’s then Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova wept with emotion on television as she announced a decree giving thousands of irregular…
In May 2020, Italy's then Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova wept with emotion on television as she announced a decree giving thousands of irregular immigrants the chance to work legally on farms and as domestic helpers. Frank Agbontaen, a 30-year-old Nigerian, has been in Italy since 2016. He applied for the holy grail of a work permit in July.
Gavin Jones
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Frank Agbontaen, 30, from Nigeria, poses for a portrait after cleaning a square to make extra money in Rome, Italy, June 3, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
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In May 2020, Italy s then Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova wept with emotion on television as she announced a decree giving thousands of irregular immigrants the chance to work legally on farms and as domestic helpers.
A year on, however, the scheme has made almost no progress, a victim of the country s tortuous bureaucracy and its struggle to integrate new arrivals.
Frank Agbontaen, a 30-year-old Nigerian, has been in Italy since 2016. Like many thousands, he arrived on a rickety boat from Libya.