Who is eligible?
The residence permit for social protection purposes is aimed at foreign national citizens who have been subjected to violence or have been victims of exploitation in terms of prostitution, labour, mendicancy or acts where if caught in flagrante, arrest is foreseen (slavery, human trafficking, sexual violence etc) and there is an absolute risk to personal safety.
Application for the Residence Permit
Applications for residence permits for social protection purposes can be carried out at:
- District Attorney's office, in cases whereby penal measures are underway in relation to violence or serious exploitation towards the foreign national;
- Local social services bodies;
- Associations, bodies and organisations that are listed on the pertinent register with the Ministry for Employment and Social Policy and licensed to process assistance programmes and social protection for foreign nationals;
The Police Headquarters (Questura), having received the application and verified the requirements are met, processes the application for a residence permit for humanitarian reasons.
Requirements to be met to obtain the Residence Permit
- counsel from the District Attorney's Office, in cases whereby the D.A. gives an indication in relation to the seriousness of the danger and how current it is;
- participation on behalf of the foreign national in an assistance and social integration programme organised by local bodies or by private individuals who are listed on the relevant register with the Ministry for employment and agreed upon with a local body. For victim assistance and social integration programme funding, check out the website: Equal Opportunities Department;
- acknowledgment of committments relating to the programme by the director of the facility where the programme is run.
Characteristics of the Residence Permit
The residence permit for social protection purposes allows for:
- access to social services and to educational services;
- enrolment on the job-seekers register;
- carrying out of subordinate employment;
- registration with the national health service;
If the holder of the residence permit, upon expiration of the permit, has employment, the permit can be subsequently extended or renewed for the duration of the employment contract. The residence permit can be converted into a residence permit for work purposes or for study purposes, if the holder is enrolled for a valid study course.
Duration of the Residence Permit.
The residence permit is valid for 6 months and can be renewed for a year or for the maximum term necessary for judicial purposes.
It can be revoked if the assistance and social integration programme is not adhered to or for behaviour that deemed incompatible with said programme. This is communicated to the District Attorney's office, the local social services body or if any of the other required conditions are not met, to the Police Commissioner.
Special Cases
The residence permit for social protection purposes can also be issued, upon release from a penal institution and on the initiative of the District Attorney's Office or the Juvenile Court's Supervising Judge, to a foreign national who has terminated a penal detention sentence, imposed on him/her for crimes committed while still a minor and who has concrete evidence that demonstrates his/her participation in an assistance and social integration programme.
These regulations also apply to citizens from other European Member States who find themselves in serious and ongoing danger.
All information about how to apply for or renew a residence permit
