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The Italian jobs
By Irfan Husain - Dawn
On the morning of every working day, a long queue forms outside the Pakistan embassy in Rome. Unlike the lines outside western embassies in Islamabad, these people are not applicants for visas: almost every single one is a Pakistani reporting that his passport has been stolen or lost and applying for a new one. Once they prove their citizenship either through an ID card or some other document, they are issued new passports, often on the same day for an 'urgent fee' of $100. Armed with a passport and a job offer, they can approach the Italian authorities for permission to work. Given an aging population and a proportionately shrinking workforce, the Italians are glad to allow them to do so. The reason for tearing up the travel document they originally entered Italy on (almost always illegally) is that with a new passport, they can claim they have been in the country for longer than they actually have, thus becoming eligible for a work permit. The Italian authorities and the Pakistan embassy are obviously aware of this transparent scam, but nobody makes an issue of it as it suits all the parties concerned.

posted by A Curmudgeon 9:34 AM