The decree-law D.L. n. 146/2025, introducing amendments to regulations regarding the legal entry of foreign workers and the management of immigration has been published in the official Italian Gazette. The decree establishes procedures for the admission and hiring of foreign workers and institutes the pre-compiled requests for work clearances. The number of clearance requests from private employers are limited to three.
The clearance procedure for subordinate work will proceed from the moment the request is attributed to the entry quota. The duty of verifying the truthfulness of declarations made by employers for clearances also applies to subordinate work in special cases, volunteering, research, highly skilled foreign workers, and intracorporate transfers.
The law extends work rights to foreign workers who are awaiting the conversion of their stay permit, in addition to issuance and renewal cases. Regulations relating to stay permits issued to victims of trafficking, domestic violence, and illicit intermediation and labor exploitation have been standardised. The duration of these permits is extended from six to twelve months. The rights include an inclusion allowance, previously only granted to victims of labor exploitation.
The anti-exploitation roundtable operation is stabilized, with recognized religious institutions now allowed to participate in meetings. For the 2026-2028 triennium, the quota of 10,000 annual entries outside of the quotas established by flow decrees for workers in family care or socio-health assistance has been confirmed.
The decree-law provides for specific entry quotas for young foreigners participating in general interest and social utility voluntary programs every three years instead of annually. For family reunification, the issued clearance duration is extended from 90 to 150 days, in line with nine months provided by European regulations. The Council of Ministers has approved the Prime Ministerial Decree relating to the programming of legal entry flows into Italy for foreign workers for the 2026-2028 triennium, awaiting its publication in the Official Gazette.
