Late on 21 November Italy’s lower house approved the conversion law for Decree-Law 146/2025, introducing the most significant procedural reforms to work-visa management since 2002. The bill now goes to the Senate, which must finalise it by 2 December.
Key changes lengthen two critical windows from 7 to 15 days: employers now have a fortnight after the nulla osta clearance is issued to confirm a job offer, and another 15 days after a foreign worker’s arrival to sign the mandatory contratto di soggiorno. The text also mandates that prefectures accept electronic filings by accredited lawyers and consultants and allows the Labour Inspectorate to pre-screen applications, filtering out black-listed employers before click-day quotas open.
![Chamber of Deputies Converts Immigration Decree, Extending Employer Deadlines and Fast-Tracking Work Visas]()
For high-skill graduates trained under Italy-funded programmes abroad, the decree sets a 30-day maximum to issue a nulla osta and removes the requirement to attach an employer declaration of intent. Separately, the law extends to 2028 a pilot channel that grants up to 10,000 off-quota permits annually for home-care workers.
Why it matters: longer deadlines reduce the number of applications that lapse for technical reasons and give HR teams breathing space to gather documents, while the Inspectorate’s early checks may raise rejection rates for non-compliant firms.
Key changes lengthen two critical windows from 7 to 15 days: employers now have a fortnight after the nulla osta clearance is issued to confirm a job offer, and another 15 days after a foreign worker’s arrival to sign the mandatory contratto di soggiorno. The text also mandates that prefectures accept electronic filings by accredited lawyers and consultants and allows the Labour Inspectorate to pre-screen applications, filtering out black-listed employers before click-day quotas open.
For high-skill graduates trained under Italy-funded programmes abroad, the decree sets a 30-day maximum to issue a nulla osta and removes the requirement to attach an employer declaration of intent. Separately, the law extends to 2028 a pilot channel that grants up to 10,000 off-quota permits annually for home-care workers.
Why it matters: longer deadlines reduce the number of applications that lapse for technical reasons and give HR teams breathing space to gather documents, while the Inspectorate’s early checks may raise rejection rates for non-compliant firms.
