Over 40 individuals have been detained in Italy in connection with migrant visa fraud, according to police and prosecutors on Wednesday. This follows Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's recent concerns about mafia groups profiting from such schemes. A total of 44 individuals were arrested, with 13 jailed, 24 under house arrest, and seven in custody. They face charges including criminal association to facilitate illegal immigration, money laundering, and false invoicing. Additionally, 10 suspects were prohibited from engaging in business activities for a year.
Prosecutors from Salerno, near Naples, stated that the suspects submitted fraudulent visa applications for migrants requiring employer sponsorship. They processed approximately 2,500 applications since 2020 using non-existent or falsified data, with migrants paying up to 7,000 euros each to navigate the bureaucratic process. Authorities seized assets worth about six million euros, indicating links between some accused of money laundering and the Camorra, a Naples-based mafia.
Salerno's Chief Prosecutor, Giuseppe Borrelli, noted that investigations intensified after Meloni reported her concerns about potential visa fraud to the national anti-Mafia prosecutor in June. In response to labor shortages, Meloni's government has tightened immigration controls while expanding legal pathways. Last year, work visa quotas for non-EU citizens were increased to 452,000 for 2023-2025, nearly a 150% rise from the previous period. Despite this, the system is heavily oversubscribed, with 151,000 spots available for 2024 and nearly 244,000 applications filed in the first ten days of the process opening.
Meloni recently highlighted an excessive number of applications from Campania, an economically troubled region dominated by the Camorra. Migrant rights advocates argue that excessive bureaucracy facilitates visa abuse and call for system reforms, noting that such schemes primarily benefit undocumented migrants already in Italy seeking legal status.
