Italy to Issue Half a Million Work Visas for Non-EU Nationals Between 2026 and 2028
by Adriana ruiz
Italy is set to open its doors to nearly half a million non-EU workers over the next three years, following a preliminary approval by the Council of Ministers on June 30, 2025. The new immigration plan, outlined in a draft decree by the President of the Council of Ministers (DPCM), sets the framework for legal entry of foreign workers into Italy under the so-called Decreto Flussi program for the 2026–2028 period.
A Strategic Move to Fill Labor Shortages
The government aims to authorize 497,550 legal entries of non-EU workers to support sectors facing critical labor shortages. The measure is designed to provide much-needed manpower to Italy’s economic and production system, particularly in roles that cannot be filled by the local workforce.
The plan also serves broader goals: establishing a stable, controlled legal immigration channel to strengthen cooperation with migrants’ countries of origin, and combating irregular immigration, labor exploitation, and undeclared work.
Breakdown of Work Visa Quotas
The program envisions the following yearly and categorical allocations:
• 2026: 164,850 authorized entries
• Total 2026–2028: 497,550 entries, including:
• 230,550 for non-seasonal and self-employed work
• 267,000 for seasonal work, primarily in agriculture and tourism
These numbers were determined based on input from labor unions, industry groups, and the volume of job authorization requests in previous years. The goal is to match visa allocations to real labor market demands and to provide businesses with a more reliable and realistic planning framework.
Moving Beyond the “Click Day”
One key innovation in the proposed decree is the intention to gradually phase out the much-criticized click day system, in which thousands of employers must compete for a limited number of permits during a brief online application window.
Instead, the government plans to encourage off-quota entries, especially for high-demand professions, and to strengthen training programs in migrants’ countries of origin, ensuring that incoming workers are well-prepared and meet employers’ needs from day one.
This new vision represents a shift toward a more flexible and forward-thinking immigration policy—one that balances the needs of the Italian economy with the realities of migration flows and labor mobility.
Source: Council of Ministers, Italy – June 30, 2025
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