Turkish students secure court victories over Italy's visa dispute

ISTANBUL

Turkish students are starting to win legal battles in Italy after being unable to begin their university studies due to a significant visa crisis last fall, marking a crucial step toward restoring their educational rights.

Despite having secured admission to Italian universities for undergraduate or graduate studies, nearly 1,000 Turkish students could not enroll due to either the unavailability of visa application slots or outright rejections.

Hundreds of these rejections — both preliminary and definitive — were predicated upon grounds such as “risk of asylum-seeking,” “insufficient financial means” or “lack of financial credibility.”

In response, students mobilized on social media, issued public statements and drew attention to the stance of Italian diplomatic missions in Türkiye, particularly in Istanbul and the western province of İzmir. They argued that the legally mandated 90-day period for visa processing had been exceeded and that rejection decisions were based on “unjust and baseless” reasoning.

Some students chose to take legal action, escalating the matter to the judiciary.

According to reports by Euronews Türkçe and some Italian news outlets, the number of Turkish students who have filed individual appeals before the Lazio Regional Administrative Tribunal (TAR) in Rome has reached 40.

Approximately 10 of these students have secured favorable rulings against the Italian Consulate General in Istanbul. However, one student’s case was dismissed on the grounds of a purportedly high risk of seeking asylum.

The TAR, in its rulings, mandated that some students be granted their visas without even requiring an interview, while others were ordered to have their applications reassessed by the consulate within five days, with the stipulation that they could not be rejected again on the same grounds.

The court further underscored that visa refusals must be substantiated by concrete evidence rather than mere suspicion.

The leader of Italy’s Left party, MP Nicola Fratoianni, also raised this issue in the Italian parliament on Nov. 21, 2024, citing the predicament of nearly a thousand Turkish students who, despite obtaining university acceptance and possessing complete documentation, have encountered severe visa obstacles.

In a written parliamentary inquiry directed to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Fratoianni highlighted that these students’ right to education — safeguarded under international conventions — was being jeopardized and called for an immediate resolution to the matter.

He further warned that these developments pose a risk to Italy’s long-standing values of hospitality, cultural exchange and international cooperation, which the country is widely recognized for upholding.