Indian Diversities in Italy: Italian Case Study

CARIM-INDIA – DEVELOPING A KNOWLEDGE BASE FOR POLICYMAKING ON INDIA-EU MIGRATION Co-financed by the European Union Indian Diversities in Italy: Italian Case Study Kathryn Lum CARIM-India Research Report 2012/02 © 2012. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be distributed, quoted or reproduced in any form without permission from the CARIM-India Project. CARIM-India Developing a knowledge base for policymaking on India-EU migration Research Report Case Study CARIM-India RR2012/02 Indian Diversities in Italy: Italian Case Study Kathryn Lum Research Assistant, Migration Policy Centre, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (EUI) © 2012, European University Institute Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies This text may be downloaded only for personal research purposes. Any additional reproduction for other purposes, whether in hard copies or electronically, requires the consent of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies. Requests should be addressed to [email protected] If cited or quoted, reference should be made as follows: [Full name of the author(s)], [title], CARIM-India RR [series number], Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, San Domenico di Fiesole (FI): European University Institute, [year of publication]. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION CANNOT IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE REGARDED AS THE OFFICIAL POSITION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION European University Institute Badia Fiesolana I – 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole (FI) Italy http://www.eui.eu/RSCAS/Publications/ http://www.india-eu-migration.eu/publications/ http://cadmus.eui.eu CARIM-India – Developing a knowledge base for policymaking on India-EU migration This project is co-financed by the European Union and carried out by the EUI in partnership with the Indian Council of Overseas Employment, (ICOE), the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore Association, (IIMB), and Maastricht University (Faculty of Law). The proposed action is aimed at consolidating a constructive dialogue between the EU and India on migration covering all migration-related aspects. The objectives of the proposed action are aimed at: Assembling high-level Indian-EU expertise in major disciplines that deal with migration (demography, economics, law, sociology and politics) with a view to building up migration studies in India. This is an inherently international exercise in which experts will use standardised concepts and instruments that allow for aggregation and comparison. These experts will belong to all major disciplines that deal with migration, ranging from demography to law and from economics to sociology and political science. Providing the Government of India as well as the European Union, its Member States, the academia and civil society, with: 1. Reliable, updated and comparative information on migration 2. In-depth analyses on India-EU highly-skilled and circular migration, but also on low-skilled and irregular migration. Making research serve action by connecting experts with both policy-makers and the wider public through respectively policy-oriented research, training courses, and outreach programmes. These three objectives will be pursued with a view to developing a knowledge base addressed to policy-makers and migration stakeholders in both the EU and India. Results of the above activities are made available for public consultation through the website of the project: http://www.india-eu-migration.eu/ For more information: CARIM-India Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (EUI) Convento Via delle Fontanelle 19 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole Italy Tel: +39 055 46 85 817 Fax: + 39 055 46 85 770 Email: [email protected] Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies http://www.eui.eu/RSCAS/ Abstract This paper presents an overview of the main characteristics of the Indian population in Italy, with a special focus on the two main regional groups from India present in Italy: the Punjabis and the Malayalis. It discusses their migration trajectories, demographic profile, occupational profile, the role of caste and gender within the Indian population, the importance of remittances to India, and the impact that Italian migration policy has had upon this group, as well as other non-EU nationals more generally. It also presents an overview of the legal framework governing residence permits and access to citizenship, describing the most frequent migration pathways employed by Indians in Italy. It concludes with a discussion of the sociocultural integration of the Indian population and their perception in the Italian media. Introduction In a very short of period of time, from the mid 1970´s onwards Italy has transformed itself from a traditionally emigrant-sending country into an immigrant receiving country. Three key factors have influenced this shift and attracted a growing influx of immigrants, both regular and irregular: Italy´s expanding economy, and in particular, the large size of its informal economy; the decision of Western European countries to tighten their immigration policies following the oil crisis of 1974; and the initial lack of immigration controls. Mass immigration began in the early 1980’s, without however comprehensive national migration policies to manage it, nor integration programs in place on the part of local councils. The largest immigrant communities in Italy according to 2011 Istat data (the National Institute of Statistics in Italy), are Romanians, followed by Albanians, Moroccans, Chinese, Ukrainians, and Filipinos. Istat calculates that 7.54% of the resident population of Italy is composed of foreign nationals. Indian immigration, although a recent phenomenon, has been growing rapidly: the current registered Indian population in Italy is estimated at 121, 036 (January 2011 figures), which represents an increase of 14.3% with respect to 2010. Italy now counts the largest Indian population in continental Europe and the second largest in Europe as a whole after the UK. Indians have a long tradition of emigration, which was historically driven by opportunities for migration throughout the former British Empire. Involvement in the British Imperial Army ironically brought approximately 50 000 Indians (then British subjects) to Italy during World War II as part of the 8th Army, which included a number of Indian divisions. These divisions played a key role in defeating the Nazi German presence on Italian soil; in the process, 5, 782 Indian soldiers lost their lives, a little known fact of Italian history (Singh Bedi: 2011). In Independent India, Indians from a number of states have migrated to two key regions: low skilled migrants have principally emigrated to the oil-rich Gulf states; highly skilled migrants have emigrated to the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, which are considered the most desirable and prestigious destinations in the unofficial Indian migration hierarchy. Contemporary Indians are overwhelmingly economic migrants, but they are also motivated by prestige concerns, since those Indian families who have a family member abroad experience enhanced social status- regardless of whether the family member in question migrated abroad legally or irregularly. The profile of Indian migration to Italy is predominantly low-skilled, and comes mainly from two Indian states: the northern state of the Punjab, and the southern state of Kerala, two Indian states with among the highest number of residents who migrate abroad. According to estimates provided by the Indian Consul General in Milan, at least 80% of Indians in Italy are of Punjabi origin, the majority of whom profess the Sikh faith, although there is a growing Punjabi Hindu minority; the proportion of Sikhs to Hindus among the Punjabi population is estimated to be 80% Sikh, 20% Hindu. The remaining 20% are composed of Malayalees or Keralites, the vast majority of whom are Roman Catholic Christians from both the Syrian and Latin traditions (liturgies); Gujaratis from the Indian state of Gujarat (majority Hindu) and Goans (both Christian and Hindu). The majority Punjabi profile of Indian migrants living in Italy means that Italy is host to a new and increasingly visible ethnically based religion: Sikhism. CARIM-India RR2012/02 © 2012 EUI, RSCAS Kathryn Lum DEMOGRAPHIC CHACTERISTICS Regular and Irregular Migrants The Indian community in Italy is one with a significant percentage of non-documented migrants. According to a report on irregular migration from the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana to Europe prepared for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, every year over 20,000 youths from the state of Punjab alone (principally young men) attempt to migrate irregularly, 47% of whom are bound for Europe (Saha 2009: i). Of these, an average of 27% aims directly for the UK, although data on the detection of irregular migrants at Delhi International Airport, reveals that Italy is the second the most important European destination (Saha: 2009:70). The majority of Indians arrive in Italy ´legally´, although often with forged documents (including visas, passports, residence permits and work contracts), or have used falsified documents to obtain legitimate visas, but then overstay their visas, leading to legal irregularity. For example, in 2005 12 cases of forged Italian visas were detected, which of course represents just a tiny percentage of the true extent of this practice (Saha 2009: 92). In other cases, Indians travel legally to various transit countries before attempting to irregularly enter their chosen European destination. One

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