Italian Ambassador to Tunisia Announces Significant Increase in Visas Issued to Tunisian Citizens
The Italian Ambassador to Tunisia, Alessandro Prunas, has announced that over 20,000 visas have been issued by his country to Tunisian citizens since the beginning of 2025, a significant increase compared to previous years.
In a statement to Expresse Fm, Prunas highlighted that this increase concerns particularly work visas and student visas, specifying that the latter have risen from 800 in 2024 to nearly 2,000 in 2025. The overall acceptance rate currently exceeds 85%, he added.
The diplomat emphasized Italy's willingness to promote legal migration and reduce irregular migration, noting that the number of illegal departures from Tunisia to Italy has plummeted: from hundreds of thousands in 2023 to less than 30,000 in 2024, and then to around 4,000 in 2025.
"Italy and Europe need skilled labor. The goal is to create safe and organized access routes for people with the necessary skills," said the ambassador, while praising the cooperation between Italian and Tunisian coast guards that has contributed to reducing tragedies at sea.
Prunas also specified that Italy issued 8,000 work visas in 2024, a number higher than the number of irregular arrivals that year. He stated that this dynamic is now encouraging Tunisians to opt for legal procedures.
He also recalled that Italy is funding several cooperation and training programs in Tunisia, totaling eight million euros, aimed at strengthening skills related to Italian investments.
Finally, the diplomat called for a balance between professional mobility and the preservation of Tunisian skills, warning that a massive brain drain would represent "a major economic challenge" for Tunisia.
