New data from Slovenian police show 25,580 unauthorised border crossings in the first eleven months of 2025, more than 40 % fewer than the same period last year. The figures—relayed by Italy’s ANSA news agency—suggest that tighter upstream policing and fresh deportation agreements are easing pressure on Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, which has housed overflow migrants since Italy reinstated border checks in 2024.
Afghan, Egyptian and Bangladeshi nationals remain the three most common groups intercepted, but daily arrivals along the so-called Balkan route have fallen from peaks of 300 to under 150. Italian liaison officers say reception centres in Gorizia and Trieste are now below capacity for the first time in 18 months, cutting hotel-block bookings that had driven up accommodation costs for business travellers.
![Irregular crossings at Slovenian frontier drop 40 % – relief for Italy’s North-East]()
Officials credit joint patrols, faster readmission procedures with Bosnia-Herzegovina, and stepped-up aerial surveillance funded by the EU Internal Security Fund. Carriers transporting third-country nationals without documentation still face fines up to €5,000 per person, underscoring the need for strict passenger vetting on charter coaches and shuttle services.
While humanitarian NGOs welcome the breathing space, they warn that flows could rebound in spring 2026. Mobility managers should monitor numbers, as renewed surges could again strain regional infrastructure and lengthen processing times for posted-worker permits filed at local police headquarters.
Afghan, Egyptian and Bangladeshi nationals remain the three most common groups intercepted, but daily arrivals along the so-called Balkan route have fallen from peaks of 300 to under 150. Italian liaison officers say reception centres in Gorizia and Trieste are now below capacity for the first time in 18 months, cutting hotel-block bookings that had driven up accommodation costs for business travellers.
Officials credit joint patrols, faster readmission procedures with Bosnia-Herzegovina, and stepped-up aerial surveillance funded by the EU Internal Security Fund. Carriers transporting third-country nationals without documentation still face fines up to €5,000 per person, underscoring the need for strict passenger vetting on charter coaches and shuttle services.
While humanitarian NGOs welcome the breathing space, they warn that flows could rebound in spring 2026. Mobility managers should monitor numbers, as renewed surges could again strain regional infrastructure and lengthen processing times for posted-worker permits filed at local police headquarters.
Source: VisaHQ Global Mobility News
