The Italian cabinet approved a contested bill on Tuesday that seeks to relax restrictions on immigrants introduced by the last government.
The draft legislation provides for changes in a series of key areas, making it easier for foreigners to enter the country and reducing the number of migrant-holding centers.
The government claims that the legislation is vital to tackling illegal immigration.
But the center-right opposition promptly attacked the bill, insisting it will actually fuel immigration and vowed to fight the measure when it reaches parliament, local media reports said.
If approved by parliament, the document would allow Italians to be guarantors for would-be immigrants, which means that foreigners would no longer need to get a job and hold a residency permit before entering Italy.
Highly skilled or "talented" foreigners with expertise in fields such as science, culture, sport and entertainment would be eligible for fast-track residency permits, similar to points-based systems in use in other countries.
Another key change would be a reduction in the number of Italy's controversial migrant-holding centers from 14 to just five.
Although immigrants awaiting expulsion will still be held in the centers, they will no longer be used to house newly arrived foreigners while they are identified.
Non-governmental organizations and the media will also be granted free access to the centers as a safeguard to ensure the rights of detainees are properly respected.
Finally, a separate criminal justice system for immigrants will be abolished, which means foreigners charged with criminal offences will stand trial in the same courts as Italian defendants.
The government has billed the measure as a tool to reduce the number of people entering Italy illegally, claiming that existing immigration legislation, known as the Bossi-Fini law, is not working.
Presenting the document to the cabinet, Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said the modifications "were necessary because the existing immigration law encouraged a disproportionate number of illegal immigrants."
(Xinhua News Agency April 25, 2007)
