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MY DANISH CAREER

CAREER

‘Denmark is like a little America’

In the latest edition of My Danish Career, The Local met Santiago Obama, an entrepreneur raised in France who came to Denmark to 'make it' in the entertainment business.

Published: 2 September 2015 08:36 CEST
'Denmark is like a little America'
Santiago Obama. Photo: Submitted
Santiago Obama is a 29-year-old Guinean who was born and raised in Nice, France. Since coming to Denmark, he has been involved in various ventures including running a modelling agency, working as a nightclub promoter and helping aspiring artists. 
 
Why did you come to Copenhagen?

It was random at first. I really wanted to play football and I tried to join FC Copenhagen, but mentally I wasn’t strong enough! (laughs) 
 
How do you define yourself?

I'm an entrepreneur. I’m always thinking about what could work and what people will like. And I think that this entrepreneurship mentality comes from my mom because she’s African so she likes to do business. She is a tough one when it comes to money and dealing with people, but I am not quite on her level yet.
 
How were your first months here?
I’d say it’s like somebody drops you in a dark room and you have to find the light and go out. It was very hard.
 
You are now managing different businesses: a modelling agency, a music label, working for Copenhagen nightclubs… How do you handle that?

The secret when you truly love something is to do it no matter what other people say. Some people will try to discourage you based on their own fears and other will take advantage of your good heart, but you just have to keep going. With my modelling agency, I work with around 20 models so I’m always working the phone, answering email, dealing with pictures, etc… I’m an ambitious person and I always try to do my best. It's not so easy to build trust in the modelling business; there are a lot of scammers.
 
Why did you start the modelling agency?

My ex-girlfriend struggled to be a model, and I didn’t liked the way she was being rejected with no further explanation, despite being a very beautiful young woman. There are a lot of young women out there who have been in the same situation as my her. My agency will give anyone an opportunity, as long they fit our clients' requirements. But if they can't get into our agency, we will take the time to explain it to them. 
 
What’s the favourite part of your job?

Everything I do is about other people, promoting others. I like to help people, even though I haven't always succeeded. I have been lucky in my life to develop my passion and I find great pleasure in helping others. 
 
Tell us a little bit about your record label/internet radio.

Soul2Soul Radio was born out of my love for music. We focus above all on R&B, soul and hip-hop, as long there is a strong message behind. I like to manage the label along with producer and co-founder Sajaan Tahir. I also love to decide what music it’s interesting for us like, for example, rapper Joseph Agami and my great friend DJ Magic Fingers.
 At this moment, we are not very active, but we are working on it to come back with something good.

 
 
How did you get involved with event management in Copenhagen nightclubs?  
I have managed and promoted different events at Rust nightclub, including Brooklyn Zoo and Keep It Real Hip Hop. I enjoy showing people that you can take a place to the top if you work hard enough and set your mind to it.


 
Do you think Denmark is a good place for entrepreneurs?

It doesn’t matter where you are – it could be in France, Spain, England or Sweden. It’s just about doing it. When you’re passionate about something you find the time and the means to do it, at least that's what I believe in. You should visualize your success, because having a vision of where you are going can have a big impact.
 
Do you think there are enough business opportunities in Denmark for everyone?

What I have seen around here is the fact that many people have good business structures but they don’t know how to make it work. But I think that there are plenty of opportunities here. Denmark is like a little America, if you’re smart you can achieve great things.

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IMMIGRATION

How can American citizens work in Italy?

Americans have to fight through a quagmire of bureaucracy to get the right to work in Italy. The Local spoke to Paolo Zagami, an immigration lawyer at Zagamilaw in Rome, to find out how others can get through the process as painlessly as possible.

Published: 27 August 2019 13:38 CEST
How can American citizens work in Italy?
Obtaining a work visa for Italy is lengthy, but possible. Photo: DepositPhotos

Americans – or anyone else from outside the European Union – are unable to just pack up and land in Italy for a slice of la dolce vita.

They require a work permit or visa, rules for which have grown tighter in recent years as the Italian authorities tighten restrictions to stem unemployment.

In fact, the difficulty of obtaining a visa, coupled with an impatience to fulfil their dream, drives many Americans to arrive in Italy without one.

READ ALSO: 'What I wish I'd known': An American's advice on getting residency in Italy


Photo: DepositPhotos

Zagami says that Americans often encounter “problems, misunderstandings and excessive delays” when applying to work in Italy.

But he warns that those who ignore the paperwork are not only breaking the law, but also putting themselves in a vulnerable position should they fall ill or need police assistance.

Know your quotas

Americans can only obtain a work permit in Italy through sponsorship from an Italian company or a foreign corporation doing business in Italy.

All paperwork must be filed by the employer. This starts with keeping an eye out for the publication of the Decreto flussi  or ‘Flow Decree’, which stipulates Italy’s entry quotas from any given country for the year and is usually published between January and April.

In 2019 Italy set a quota of 30,850 work permits for non-EU nationals, 18,000 of them for seasonal work in tourism or agriculture and 12,850 for non-seasonal or self-employment (including people converting an existing residency permit into a work permit).

READ ALSO: 

The total quota has remained stable since 2016, though the number of permits actually granted to non-EU workers has plummeted over the past decade. In 2017, the most recent year for which official data is available, Italy issued 2,802 permits to workers from the US, more than any other country.

Certain jobs are exempt from the quota system, including university professors, translators, interpreters and some roles in the performing arts. Therefore, Zagami says, it is important to check if and how you might be affected.

It is then crucial for the sponsor to begin the visa application procedure as soon as possible after the publication of the quota list, because most quotas are filled within a few days. Any applications arriving after the quota is filled, or which are completed incorrectly, are rejected with no chance of appeal.

What to do before you leave the US…

The Italian employer must then lodge an application for the work permit with the Central Immigration Office (Sportello Unico). If successful, the applicant will be issued with a no-impediment (nulla osta) document. This functions as a guarantee that the sponsor will enter into a contractual working relationship with the American employee-to-be.

In some professions, employers must also apply to the provincial employment office (Ufficio Provinciale del Lavoro e della Massima Occupazione) in their city by submitting evidence that there is nobody qualified for the position offered available in the local labour market. Although rare, it is possible for the authorities to suggest the employment of an EU citizen in their place, Zagami says.

He says one of the main reasons Americans experience difficulties is that “many employers are unwilling to go through the necessary procedure, maybe because of the slow and meticulous Italian bureaucracy, or also because of the set quotas”.

FOR MEMBERS: How to become Italian: A guide to getting citizenship


Photo: DepositPhotos

For freelancers or those hoping to work independently, the process is slightly different. Workers must apply for the visa independently and receive the no-impediment document from the local police headquarters (Questura).

There are further restrictions on the number of freelancers that may enter Italy from a certain country or nationality in any given year, and freelancers must also prove they have a proper income and adequate accommodation arranged in Italy.

Only once the no-impediment document is granted may an American apply for an entry visa (visto d'ingresso per motivi di lavoro) at an Italian consular office in their home city. This must be done before the American moves to Italy – Americans already in Italy have to return to the US to apply for their entry visa.

Zagami points out that while it could cause problems if Americans decide to enter the territory without a visa, it is possible to enter the country with a more easily obtainable student visa, for example, and convert this to a working one once they have found an employer in Italy – although tourist visas cannot be converted to working ones.

This procedure again involves applying to the Central Immigration Office for authorization.

… and once you get here

Within eight working days of arriving in Italy with their temporary work permit, all Americans must apply for a residency permit (permesso di soggiorno).

They also need to apply for a tax code (codice fiscale), one of the easier hurdles of Italian bureaucracy, at their local revenue agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

READ ALSO:

The final step is to present the signed work contract to the local employment office (Centro per l’impiego), where the application will be approved.

With the temporary permit, the tax code and the approval of the employment office, the police headquarters will finally issue the long-term work permit.

How much does it cost?

Zagami says the visa itself costs around €116, while the process can take anywhere between 30 and 120 days. 


Photo: DepositPhotos

But what if the job offer falls through during the process, or an American loses their job in Italy?

Zagami advises that in these cases “it is important to look for another job immediately, because the legislation in force allows the employees to stay only six months after the loss of the former job”.

The process may be long-winded, but it is perfectly possible for Americans to come to Italy for work – as long as you've got the time, organization, patience and the necessary paperwork. 

This is an updated version of an article first published in 2013.

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