On Getting the 'Permesso di Soggiorno'

I want to use my first 'invited post' on Hugo's blog to tell you about some information I just read on Metropoli, a supplement of "La Repubblica" dedicated to immigrants. The cover of the supplement refers to the difficulties on getting the permesso di soggiono nowaydays. As a "victim" of the new procedure, I was really interested on some of the figures I read:

• In the five months in which the new procedure for getting/renewing the permesso has been active, only the 6% of the 613000 applications has had an answer (such as a letter for going to the questura).
• Of all received applications, about 240000 were classified as "anomale" or incomplete. This is usually because some mandatory field was not correctly filled in. You might be surprised to know that some of the "anomale" applications were correct; they have reconfigured the software to accept as optional some fields that were previously considered as mandatory.
• It's sad to think that all this mess was financed by millions of the immigrants; just multiply 72 Euro by 613000! La Repubblica quickly makes clear the fact that this new procedure is a Berlusconi's goverment result.
• For sure, you can be part of the 94% of the applications that is still waiting for an answer.
  
• Although the drama of the permesso is serious all over the country, in some regions (such as Veneto) the situation is particularly critical. In Genova the waiting time can reach almost 9 months! Neither Emilia-Romagna (the region where I live) nor Trentino-Alto Adige were mentioned as 'critical' regions.
  

After reading the whole article, I felt really lucky I already receive the letter for going to the Questura to deliver some photos and getting my fingerprints recorded. I sent my documents on January, and until before April my application was classified as "incomplete". Then in April I received the letter for going to the Questura last week. I had to wait four hours before getting my fingerprints recorded twice (immigration office and polizia scientifica) I was told that I should wait 'un paio di mesi' (a couple of months). I know that means three or more months. Eventually, I will get a nice bancomat-like card which is the electronic permesso di soggiorno. Perhaps before I finish my studies I'll get the paper-based one :)

Surprisingly, some people I know sent their documents later than me (say February or Mid March) and they had their appointments before me. This could be a good sign, as it shows a slow improvement of the people in Rome who are classifying all the applications. All in all, it is incredible that the Posta and the Ministries involved didn't have a proper 'experimentation phase' for this new procedure (I understand there was one, but very small). Coming from a southamerican country, it is interesting to imagine how one of our governments would have handled this kind of situation. I have mixed feelings about the answer, but that's a good point for another post.

Bottom line:

• be very patient,
  
• you can do very little at your town (everything is centralized in Rome),
  
• and think that there is a someone who is in a worse situation than you.