It’s a crisp morning outside Rome’s Malaysian Embassy; here, Aya, a woman whose journey epitomizes the complex tapestry of modern global migration. Her story traverses seven countries and seven bureaucratic systems, illustrating how the pursuit of a borderless life often collides with the rigid frameworks of international immigration.
Standing in the embassy’s shadow, Aya reflects on her remarkable journey that began in the sun drenched streets of Bahrain, where she first met her husband while working. Their shared career aspirations would lead them through a labyrinth of international relocations – from the UAE to Ireland’s emerald shores to their current home in Rome. Each move brought its own set of challenges, but Italy’s bureaucratic landscape proved to be particularly daunting.
“In Malaysia, it takes two weeks. In Qatar? Two to three months”, she explains, comparing embassy processing times across continents; specificly, she focuses on how much time it takes to get the residency permit (“permesso di soggiorno”, as it is known in Italy), let alone the official Italian citizenship. Her voice carries both frustration and resigned amusement as she recounts the stark contrasts between different immigration systems. The irony isn’t lost on her when she describes her native country, Kazakhstan – which she refers to as a “third-world country” – as surprisingly efficient in its digital processing of documents, while Italy, despite its promises of modernization, still demands month-long waits for simple photocopies.
The gender dimension of her experience adds another layer of complexity to her story. Though Aya is quick to point out that immigration struggles transcend gender, she acknowledges how the absence of her husband during certain processes markedly complicated her journey. Even seemingly straightforward tasks, like renting an apartment, became insurmountable obstacles until her spouse’s documentation could smooth the way.
For a year and a half, Aya existed in a bureaucratic limbo in Italy, living without a residence permit – a situation too familiar to many immigrants. This legal document represents far more than just official permission to stay; it’s the key that unlocks participation in everyday life. “You can find work”, she explains with a knowing smile, “but opening a bank account? Impossible”. The absence of this crucial document creates a paradoxical existence where one can contribute to the economy through labor but cannot access basic financial services.
The persistence of paper-based systems in an increasingly digital world particularly frustrates Aya. She recalls with disbelief how a simple document copy in Italy required a month and a half of waiting. Despite these frustrations, there’s a resilience in her voice when she speaks about her current home in Rome. After living in seven countries (Qatar, Bahrein, UAE, Kazakhstan, Ireland and, lastly, Malaysia), she appears to have found a place where she’d like to pause her global journey, at least for now.
The bureaucratic challenges around citizenship and residency permissions reveal a fundamental disconnect in our globalized world. While people, ideas, and capital flow increasingly freely across borders, the administrative frameworks governing human movement remain stubbornly rooted in the past. The process of obtaining official citizenship – crucial for true integration into a new country – often becomes a test of endurance rather than merit.
Aya’s experience illuminates a larger truth about modern migration: the path to belonging in a new country isn’t just about cultural adaptation or language learning – it’s about navigating an often opaque and frustrating bureaucratic maze. For now, Aya continues to build her life in Rome, her experience serving as a guidebook for others navigating similar journeys. Her story reminds us that in today’s global society, the right to move freely and build a life in a new place is often hampered by outdated administrative systems and excessive bureaucracy. It’s a narrative that challenges us to reimagine how we manage human mobility in the 21st century.
