Frustrated at long waits while asylum applications are handled, many migrants have been more than happy to get involved in volunteer work but this has irked some critics who see it as either exploiting migrant labour or taking jobs from Italians... Despite the heat and lack of pay, the volunteers welcomed the activity as a break from the relentless waiting for word on their asylum requests, a process that can take more than a year. During that time, migrants are housed in reception centres scattered across Italy. While authorities provide Italian lessons and some job training during this period, migrants do not have permission to work while their status is being decided... Some immigrant advocates and union officials have criticised the push for community service by migrants as a potentially exploitative labour practice and suggested it could even violate international norms on requests for asylum.