According to the Minister, Turkish students have been experiencing delays as it takes time for the authorities to check the applications thoroughly. Moreover, the delays have also been linked to the large number of visa applications that the consulates have been receiving.
In addition to the above-mentioned, Minister Tajani said that Turkish students are not the only ones who are dealing with this issue. As he explained, numerous Italian consulates in different countries are receiving many applications, making it difficult for the staff to process them faster.
To make it clear that Italy is not purposely processing applications faster, Minister Tajani further emphasised that there is no obstacle for Turkish students who want to enter Italy for academic purposes.
Turkish Students Protested Outside Italian Consulate in Istanbul Over Visa Delays
The comments of Minister Tajani came after a group of Turkish students and their parents protested outside the Italian Consulate in Istanbul at the beginning of this week over the visa delays.
The Turkish students who have been admitted to Italian universities but have not received a response on their visa application yet said that the delays are unreasonable and threaten their academic goals.
Speaking on behalf of all the students who were at the protest, Senol Beyaz said that they submitted their visa applications months ago. Beyaz further noted that they submitted all the required documents and beyond, but they are still waiting for a response from the Italian authorities.
In addition to the delays, students also complained about Italian authorities providing inconsistent reasons for their denied applications. This pushed them to believe that their applications were not being carefully processed.
Except for students, Italian experts have also called for measures to be taken on the matter as soon as possible.
The President of the Italy-Türkiye Friendship Association and a faculty member at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice also complained about the situation of the Turkish students and called for additional efforts by the Italian authorities.
