Italy Will Allow Indian Students to Stay for the Next 12 Months After Degree Completion

Study in Italy: There is good news for Indian students studying in European countries. Every academic year, a large number of Indian students embark on an enriching study abroad journey. Both governments have announced that Indian students wishing to stay in Italy after completing their degrees will now be allowed to stay in the country for an additional 12 months.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the proposal of the Ministry of External Affairs to sign and ratify the Migration and Mobility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Italy, PIB reported on Wednesday.

As per the agreement, Indian students wishing to gain initial professional experience after completing academic/vocational training in Italy may be permitted temporary residence in Italy for up to 12 months. As of now, people holding a master’s degree or PhD are eligible to stay in Italy for up to 12 months after their studies.

According to government data, a total of 5,897 Indian students were present in Italy on study visa in 2022. There were 4791 Indian students in India in 2019, 3211 in 2020 and 3008 Indian students in Italy in 2021.

Furthermore, the Italian side has wide-ranging provisions related to professional training, extra-curricular internships and curricular internships that allow Indian students/trainees to gain exposure to Italian skills/training standards.

The Italian Government has also reserved quotas of 5000, 6000 and 7000 non-seasonal Indian workers for 2023, 2024 and 2025 under the existing Flow Decree (the total reserved quota for non-seasonal workers is 12000). Additionally, the Italian side has reserved quotas of 3000, 4000 and 5000 seasonal Indian workers for 2023, 2024 and 2025 under the existing Flow Decree (the total reserved quota for seasonal workers is 8000).

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