Italy has taken a decisive step toward overhauling its labour-migration framework. Late on 18 November, the Chamber of Deputies passed the bill that converts Decree-Law 146/2025 into permanent legislation. The decree, first issued on 3 October, bundles ‘urgent provisions’ designed to make it easier for employers to hire non-EU nationals and to tighten oversight of the recruitment chain.
At the heart of the text is a new triennial quota programme that provides 10,000 ‘extra-quota’ slots per year—in addition to the ordinary Flussi quotas—for domestic caregivers. MPs have now widened that exemption: from 2026 babysitters caring for children up to six years of age will also be eligible, alongside carers for the over-80s and persons with disabilities. For many Italian households that depend on private childcare, the change offers a legal hiring channel that did not previously exist.
![Italian Parliament Approves Key Immigration Decree, Expanding ‘Flussi’ Quotas & Fast-Tracking Work Permits]()
The conversion bill also lengthens several administrative deadlines that have stymied employers in the past. Companies will now have 15 days (up from seven) to confirm a work-permit request, and the same period to sign the mandatory ‘contract of stay’ with the incoming worker. Seasonal-work permits follow the same timetable. At the same time, the National Labour Inspectorate gains authority to run pre-emptive compliance checks, filtering out applications from black-listed employers before the famous ‘click-day’ rush for quota numbers.
Lawmakers introduced additional facilitation for foreign graduates of Italian-funded training programmes abroad: employers recruiting those candidates may bypass the usual proof-of-employment requirement and can expect a nulla osta within 30 days. Observers say this could make Italy more competitive in sectors such as agriculture and hospitality, where shortages peak during the summer season.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where final approval is expected in early December. Companies that rely on non-EU talent—particularly private-care agencies and households—should start preparing documentation immediately so they can take advantage of the enlarged quotas as soon as the implementing decree lands in the Gazzetta Ufficiale.
At the heart of the text is a new triennial quota programme that provides 10,000 ‘extra-quota’ slots per year—in addition to the ordinary Flussi quotas—for domestic caregivers. MPs have now widened that exemption: from 2026 babysitters caring for children up to six years of age will also be eligible, alongside carers for the over-80s and persons with disabilities. For many Italian households that depend on private childcare, the change offers a legal hiring channel that did not previously exist.
The conversion bill also lengthens several administrative deadlines that have stymied employers in the past. Companies will now have 15 days (up from seven) to confirm a work-permit request, and the same period to sign the mandatory ‘contract of stay’ with the incoming worker. Seasonal-work permits follow the same timetable. At the same time, the National Labour Inspectorate gains authority to run pre-emptive compliance checks, filtering out applications from black-listed employers before the famous ‘click-day’ rush for quota numbers.
Lawmakers introduced additional facilitation for foreign graduates of Italian-funded training programmes abroad: employers recruiting those candidates may bypass the usual proof-of-employment requirement and can expect a nulla osta within 30 days. Observers say this could make Italy more competitive in sectors such as agriculture and hospitality, where shortages peak during the summer season.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where final approval is expected in early December. Companies that rely on non-EU talent—particularly private-care agencies and households—should start preparing documentation immediately so they can take advantage of the enlarged quotas as soon as the implementing decree lands in the Gazzetta Ufficiale.
