ROME, August 5. /TASS/. Admittance of migrants will cost Italy’s budget a sum of 1.5 billion euro in 2016, or by 500 million euro more than in 2015, Mario Morcone, director of the Italian interior ministry’s migration and civil freedoms department, told TASS on Friday.

According to Morcone, Italy has admitted about 140,000 migrants since the beginning of the year. "The figure was slightly more than 100,000 over the entire past year," he said. "Naturally, it will entail bigger expenses. This year, they will amount to 1.5 billion euro."

He noted that migrants can stay at temporary accommodation centers for up to 18 months. "Typically, the process of identification and consideration of an asylum application takes six months. In case an application is turned down, the migrant has the right to challenge it with a court and, regrettably, litigation may take 12 more months. A final ruling on each individual case is taken by court," he said.

Migrants are provided with accommodations and meals over this entire period. Moreover, they are offered a number of educational programs. "We offer a number of services, such as Italian language courses, professional training and organized leisure activities, even sports activities. Two months after identification, migrants can begin job hunting. Typically, they take part as volunteers in initiatives organized by the authorities of the region or city they are living in," Morcone said.

He admitted that the migrant influx to the country is growing. Whereas in 2013 the country accepted 22,000 migrant, in 2014 the figure grew to 66,000 and further up to 100,000 in 2015.