AVRUPA TIMES/LONDON-Around 1000 Turkish students who have been admitted to undergraduate, master’s, and PhD programs at Italian universities are unable to obtain visas from the Italian Consulates in Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara. While the majority of students applying through the Italian Embassy in Ankara have received their visas, around 1000 Turkish students applying via the Italian Consulates in Istanbul and Izmir have not yet been issued visas. This is despite Italian universities having opened on September 20, the students meeting the financial requirement of at least €6,200, and all documentation being complete. If they do not receive their visas by November 30, they will lose their right to register and study. For instance, the registration deadlines for POLITO Politecnico di Torino on 30 November and ABAROMA Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma are on November 29.
Italian universities sent their acceptance letters to students as early as January and February. However, when students applied for visa appointments through IDATA, they were given dates with delays of 5-7 months, scheduled for June, July, or August. Although consulates’ websites state that visa applications should be processed within 90 days, hundreds of students have been waiting for responses for 4-5 months, with neither approval nor rejection given.
The visa evaluation process is inconsistent and lacks transparency. Some students who initially received rejections were later granted visas upon reapplying, while others continued to face unjustified denials. In particular, Izmir İtalian Consulate does not allow students to nominate a sponsor except parents whereas Ankara & Istanbul Italian consulates do allow their siblings, aunts, uncles or grandparents to do so. Yet, some students have lost either their mother or father or parents who are divorced and not seeing their child for a long time. So, their financial sufficiency is lowered still to remain above €6,200 irrespective of their academic achievements and doomed to be rejected.
For example, a female graduate in psychology from Koç University, who had been admitted to a Clinical Psychology master's program in Milan, was denied a visa by the Italian Consulate in Istanbul on the grounds that “there is no correlation between the undergraduate and graduate fields of study.” Similarly, Ayyüce Sude Hamşıoğlu, a student from Konya who was awarded a scholarship for the Automotive Design program at Politecnico di Torino, was rejected three times by the Italian Consulate in Izmir, despite providing all necessary documents and proof of financial means. Since Politecnico’s registration deadline is November 29, she fears that even if she reapplies, the Izmir consulate will not process her visa in time. She also noted that she was not permitted to apply through the Italian Embassy in Ankara, which is just an hour away from Konya by train, and had to travel 14 hours to Izmir three times. Dozens of other students, disheartened and crying, have expressed that they feel deprived of their right to education. Due to this poor treatment, some students have sadly given up on their education plans.
In another case, twin siblings are accepted by Italian universities but one received visa while other rejected. Turkish green passport holders exempt from the EU visa are rejected with risk of asylum or economic insufficiency though students prove 20.000-50.000€ cash in their bank accounts and properties.
On the other hand, the best of the brightest top scorer Turkish students, having been rejected for student visa and dismayed, started to develop skin disorders such as shingles and urticaria as well as depression & sleep deprivation vis-a-vis their shattered education plans, along with growing lack of trust & confidence in the EU system.
For 4-5 months, these students have been unable to retrieve their passports, which has prevented them from applying to universities in other countries. They have also been forced to purchase flight tickets multiple times and pay rent for accommodations in Italy, even though they cannot attend.
Although Italian universities opened on September 20 and communicated to the consulates in Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara that they want to admit these students, those who have not received visas cannot enroll despite having complete documents, financial support, and sponsor guarantees. Families and students have tried to contact the consulates via email and phone numerous times but have not received any responses. Those who went to the consulates in Istanbul and Izmir in person reported rude and inappropriate treatment. The Italian Embassy in Ankara stated that it cannot intervene in matters related to the Izmir and Istanbul consulates. Families who requested a meeting with the Italian ambassador were not connected to the embassy office.
Most Italian universities have registration deadlines of November 29, 30 including PoliTo & AbaRoma with a few exceptions on December 4 or December 31. Some students missed their registration deadlines as early as October 20 due to visa issues, losing not only their right to education but also scholarships and dormitory placements.
While some Italian universities have allowed students to attend certain classes online as a temporary solution, not all courses are available in this format. Students in practical fields like medicine and engineering have already been disadvantaged due to their inability to attend labs or in-person classes, automatically failing those subjects.
As of November 7, students submitted signed petitions to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting a diplomatic note to be issued to the Italian Ambassador, Giorgio Marrapodi, to expedite the visa process. They also requested the establishment of a special express student visa unit within Italian consulates to prevent similar issues in the future. Students have also written petitions to the President of Turkey.
On November 14, students and families held a peaceful press conference in front of the Italian Consulate in Istanbul. Representing nearly 1000 affected students and their families, retired teacher Deniz Çelik delivered a letter to Italian Consul General Elena Clemente, detailing the students' hardships. Following a 40-minute meeting, Consul General Clemente promised to do her best to expedite the process. Students, who are under immense stress and racing against time, are now hoping that the Consul General will fulfill her promise before November 29.
According to information from Turkey’s EU Ministry, prior to the Meloni government, Italy approved 98% of Turkey’s visa applications. However, over 30,000 Turkish citizens applied for asylum in Germany and Italy after enrolling in short language courses, particularly in Malta and Germany.
Students admitted to universities, however, clearly do not fit the asylum-seeker profile, as evidenced by their official Turkish population registry, which shows that they are not Syrian or other at-risk groups. Italian universities have repeatedly requested the consulates in Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara to process Turkish students’ visas since February. Yet, despite families providing financial evidence well above the minimum €6,200 requirement, students have been rejected for reasons such as "asylum risk" or "insufficient financial means." Many students who applied a second or third time faced repeated denials. Even Erasmus students, guaranteed by the European Union, have received rejection letters citing “asylum risk.”
Students Trust in the EU Law
According to diplomats and legal experts, including Turkish lawyer based in Rome Mrs. Tuğba Rossi, the situation is as follows:
There is no diplomatic problem between Turkey and Italy. However, rejecting visa applications on the grounds of asylum risk is damaging and humiliating.
While issuing or denying visas is a sovereign right of any state, including Italy, failing to provide timely decisions violates international law.
Under the Ankara Protocol Annex Article 41(1), which guarantees “right to service,” the Italian government has violated universal rights to education and free movement. Its failure to conclude visa processes before university classes began on September 20, or to provide timely approvals or denials, is legally flawed. This breach makes Italy potentially liable for compensation at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Students and families have announced their intention to file class-action lawsuits if visas are not issued in time, similar to the Soysal case judgement by the ECJ. Many students have forfeited their admission opportunities in Turkey, as they either did not take the national university exam or did not defer their enrollments.
Similar issues have also been experienced by Turkish Erasmus students. Italy, Poland, and several EU countries have unjustly rejected visa applications from Turkish students who have won EU-backed scholarships, citing asylum risks.
Students are calling on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for immediate support. They also request measures to ensure that similar problems do not recur, including:
increasing consular staff during peak periods,
appointment of an Education Attache to the Italian Embassy to Ankara
addressing discriminatory treatment and violation of the right to education, and
providing accurate information on consular websites to ensure unified processing of student visa applications;
obligation to block min.6200Euros in a bank account to prevent any arbitrary minimum financial standards setting by Consulates.
creation of an Express Student Visa Units solely in charge of them at Izmir, Istanbul & Ankara Consulates of Italy.
Improvement of consular services, including urging the recruitment of more qualified staff at IDATA knowing Italian procedures; re-classification of the Central Anatolian cities to Ankara that are 1-2h drive, instead of 7-14 h drive to Izmir. Use of Artificial Intelligence AI Co-Pilot technology in consular affairs to measure and ensure efficient working of consular staff; take necessary measures including part-time employment during peak periods and share data on the number of students granted with visa or rejected.
They hope these measures will restore trust in Turkish-Italian relations, friendship and safeguard students’ universal right to education and their future.