In a move that could reshape talent flows from the Italian diaspora, an inter-ministerial decree published on 24 November and highlighted by the Labour Ministry on 27 November allows citizens of Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Australia, Canada, Venezuela and Uruguay—who can prove lineal descent from an Italian citizen—to take up subordinate employment in Italy outside the annual Flussi quota system.
The measure is based on Article 27 (1-octies) of the Immigration Act, introduced earlier this year in the Citizenship Decree-Law. Officials used AIRE population data to identify countries with more than 100,000 registered Italians abroad, arguing that family ties justify facilitated entry.
![Work-quota exemption opens for Italian descendants in seven diaspora countries]()
Practically, eligible applicants will still need a job offer and the usual nulla osta, but they will not compete for the capped quotas that typically fill within minutes on "click day". Companies in tourism, food processing and advanced manufacturing—sectors with chronic labour shortages—stand to benefit from a deeper, culturally aligned talent pool.
Immigration lawyers warn that documentary proof of ancestry will be scrutinised closely; birth, marriage and naturalisation records across multiple jurisdictions must form an unbroken line back to the Italian ancestor. Nevertheless, the outside-quota route could become a game-changer for HR teams recruiting in the Americas and Oceania.
Observers also link the policy to the government’s stricter rules on citizenship-by-descent: by making residence-based citizenship harder, Italy is simultaneously encouraging skilled descendants to contribute to the labour market first.
The measure is based on Article 27 (1-octies) of the Immigration Act, introduced earlier this year in the Citizenship Decree-Law. Officials used AIRE population data to identify countries with more than 100,000 registered Italians abroad, arguing that family ties justify facilitated entry.
Practically, eligible applicants will still need a job offer and the usual nulla osta, but they will not compete for the capped quotas that typically fill within minutes on "click day". Companies in tourism, food processing and advanced manufacturing—sectors with chronic labour shortages—stand to benefit from a deeper, culturally aligned talent pool.
Immigration lawyers warn that documentary proof of ancestry will be scrutinised closely; birth, marriage and naturalisation records across multiple jurisdictions must form an unbroken line back to the Italian ancestor. Nevertheless, the outside-quota route could become a game-changer for HR teams recruiting in the Americas and Oceania.
Observers also link the policy to the government’s stricter rules on citizenship-by-descent: by making residence-based citizenship harder, Italy is simultaneously encouraging skilled descendants to contribute to the labour market first.
