Why are black wreaths piling up outside Italian consulates in Türkiye?

Outside Italian diplomatic offices in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district, frustrated students have gathered in protest, decrying the systemic inefficiencies that have left many unable to join their university programs in Italy.

Though the academic year began months ago, Turkish students who secured scholarships or admissions are stranded, their aspirations hanging in the balance.

Despite fulfilling visa requirements, many students remain grounded, leading to financial and emotional turmoil. “The failure of an educational project due to bureaucratic reasons is unbearable,” said Associate Professor Vera Costantini of Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University.

Costantini expressed hope for swift resolution. “As Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has already stated, there are no structural obstacles to granting visas to Turkish students. A solution can certainly be found soon. But the delay has already cost students their first semester, and some have forfeited their opportunity entirely.”

The delays, critics argue, are emblematic of broader barriers facing Turkish citizens, who contend with one of the EU’s most restrictive visa regimes.

First-hand accounts of frustration

The consequences of these delays have been both financial and emotional for affected students. One anonymous applicant recounted their ordeal:

“On September 30, I applied for an Italian student visa. After a month of waiting, I was rejected without prior notice of any issues. The reason cited was insufficient sponsor income and the risk of asylum. Yet my sponsor’s income met the requirements, and I provided collateral worth double the needed amount,” the student explained.

The rejection, they added, was not an isolated incident. “Even students with green passports are being denied for similar reasons.”

Another student, journalist and entrepreneur Fatma Menal Akin, shared her struggle to secure a visa for a prestigious master’s program at Rome Business School. “Despite repeated emails in Italian and English, the consulate failed to respond for months,” Akin said.

When she finally received an appointment, Akin traveled from Ankara to Istanbul, only to be told by security staff that the visa department was closed. “This unnecessary confusion caused significant financial losses and emotional distress,” she added.

Akin also raised concerns about invasive documentation requirements: “I submitted 450 pages of documents, including detailed financial records of my family. Lawyers have advised me that such demands may violate data protection laws.

Akin highlighted the cascading issues caused by the delay: "Once in Italy, students must submit documents to the immigration office within eight days for their residence application. Without a visa, I can’t start this process or handle the bureaucracy. Moreover, my main passport has been held at the consulate for three months, preventing me from traveling abroad or accepting job offers."

Reflects broader EU-Türkiye tensions

For many protesters, the visa impasse is more than a bureaucratic lapse—it is a symbol of the fraught relationship between Türkiye and the European Union.

As Dr Muhammed Cagri Bilir of the Türkiye Research Foundation explains, the challenges are rooted in both geopolitical and administrative issues.

“Firstly, Italy, like other EU countries, maintains an asymmetrical relationship with Türkiye, leveraging the EU membership process as a political tool,” Bilir said. “Secondly, Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government has exacerbated the issue with anti-immigrant policies and Islamophobia, imposing stricter visa requirements on Turkish students under the pretext of inadequate guarantees of return.”

The protests reflect a broader dissatisfaction with EU visa policies, which Turkish citizens perceive as overly restrictive and discriminatory. Despite Türkiye’s status as a candidate country for EU membership and its extensive ties with Europe, its citizens face significant hurdles when seeking visas for education, travel.

Bilir pointed to the under-resourced EU bureaucracies, which struggle to manage the volume of student visa applications. “This inefficiency prolongs the process, leaving students in limbo,” he concluded.

Costantini underscored the mutual benefits of student exchange, highlighting how Turkish students bring diversity and enrichment to Italian academic life. “The presence of Turkish students in Italian universities enriches both cultures,” said Costantini, who also chairs the Italy-Türkiye Friendship Association. “It’s a missed opportunity for everyone.”

Costantini also pointed to the broader value of educational exchanges. “It’s our role as educators to advocate for a Europe of open streets, not closed doors.”

Calls for Reform

The visa impasse reflects deeper tensions in Türkiye-EU relations, which have been fraught with disagreements over migration, democracy, and geopolitics.

The EU’s strict visa requirements, coupled with slow processing times, exacerbates this divide, feeding a narrative of exclusion.

Students, academics, and professionals who aim to engage with Europe through cultural and educational exchanges are particularly affected, diminishing opportunities for long-term collaboration and understanding.

The protests have amplified demands for reform.

Advocacy groups are urging the EU and its member states to streamline visa processes, prioritise student applications, and increase transparency. They cite programs like Erasmus+ as models for fostering trust and collaboration between Türkiye and the EU.

The delays, however, have already caused tangible harm. “This isn’t just about bureaucracy,” said one protester outside the consulate. “It’s about our right to education and our future.”

For now, the chants outside the consulates echo a broader plea—for fairness, opportunity, and a shared future that many still hope to build.

As Costantini noted, “Education is a bridge—one we cannot afford to let crumble.”