Integration Agreement

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From 10 March 2012 foreign citizens who request a residence permit with a duration exceeding one year must sign, together with the application, an integration agreement organized on credits. The agreement has a duration of two years and is extendible for another year.

Persons required and not required to sign the agreement

The Integration Agreement is destined to foreign citizens over the age of 16 who enter Italy for the first time and apply for issuance of a residence permit for a duration exceeding 1 year. The following categories of foreign citizens are not obliged to sign the agreement:

• those who are affected by proven pathologies or disabilities which severely limit their self-reliance or determining difficulties in language and cultural learning;
• unaccompanied minors under guardianship;
• victims of human trafficking, violence or serious exploitation.

Where signing the Agreement

The agreement is signed at the same time as the application for a residence permit at the one-stop shop for Immigration at the Prefecture-territorial office of the competent government or at Police Headquarters.

Terms of the Agreement

By signing the agreement, foreign citizen is committed to fulfilling specific integration objectives:

• acquire a knowledge of the spoken Italian equivalent at least to level A2;
• acquire adequate knowledge of the fundamental principles of the Italian Constitution, organization and functioning of public institutions and civic life in Italy;
• ensure the fulfilment of compulsory education for minors;
• fulfil tax obligations and contributions;
• adhere to the Charter of the values of citizenship and integration and undertake to comply with its principles.

On the other hand, the State is committed to:

• ensure the entitlement of fundamental rights and equal social status of people;
• ensure the monitoring of compliance with rules for the protection of employees, full access to health services and compulsory education;
• promote the process of integration of the person concerned;
• guaranteeing the person concerned, within one month after signing, free-of-charge participation in a one-day session of civic training and information on the life in Italy.

The Agreement provides that within 2 years the foreign citizen shall obtain 30 credits.

Acquisition and loss of credits

The credits required at the end of the 2 years, can be obtained through the acquisition of knowledge on the Italian language, civic culture and civil life in Italy, and the performance of some activities, such as:

• Italian language courses;
• vocational training;
• educational qualification;
• registration with the National Health Service;
• the signing of a lease contract or certification of taking out a mortgage for the purchase of property;
• the conduct of economic and business activities.

The credits earned may instead be lost in the following cases:

• criminal convictions;
• application, also not final, of detention orders ;
• final infliction of pecuniary penalties exceeding € 10,000 in relation to administrative and tax offences.

Assessment of the Integration Agreement

Assessment methods

One month before the expiration of two years term from the signing of the agreement, the One Stop Shop for Immigration at the Prefecture begins the assessment phase that ends with the granting of final credits and with one of the following decisions:

• settlement of the agreement due to full compliance - Credits over 30 are recognized as well as the achievement of level A2 of knowledge of the spoken Italian language and knowledge of civic culture and civil life in Italy.
• Extension of the agreement for one year under the same conditions - Final credits above 0 but less than 30 are recognized (or the minimum levels of knowledge of spoken Italian, civic culture and civil life in Italy have not been achieved).
• Termination of the agreement for non-fulfilment - Final credits equal to or below 0 are recognized, the termination of the agreement for non-fulfilment is decreed, with the revocation of the residence permit or refusal of renewal and expulsion of the foreigner from the national country. If the foreign citizen cannot be expelled, the non-fulfilment is taken into consideration for the adoption of discretionary measures of immigration.

Exclusion from the assessment of the agreement

Foreign citizens who, despite having signed the integration agreement, upon verification are holders of one of the following types of residence permits are excluded from the assessment of the fulfilment of objectives:

• permit for asylum;
• request for international protection;
• subsidiary protection;
• humanitarian reasons;
• family reasons;
• EC residence permit for long-term residents;
• residence card for a foreign family member of an EU citizen.

Foreign citizens holders of other residence permit who have practised their right to family reunification are also excluded from the verification of the fulfilment of objectives.