Italy has officially converted Decree-Law 146/2025 into Law 179/2025, publishing the coordinated text in the 1 December 2025 edition of the Gazzetta Ufficiale and bringing the reforms into force on 2 December. The law is the largest procedural shake-up to Italy’s “decreto-flussi” system since 2020 and is designed to speed up the hiring of non-EU nationals while cracking down on fraud.
Background and key changes – Decree-Law 146/2025 was issued in early October as part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s pledge to simplify legal migration channels and curb irregular arrivals. Parliament has now rubber-stamped and amended the text, giving employers and foreign talent greater legal certainty ahead of the 2026 quota click-days. The final law extends two critical employer windows from 7 to 15 days: (1) confirmation of the nulla osta once issued, and (2) signature of the contratto di soggiorno after the worker’s arrival. It also doubles—from six to twelve months—the period during which graduates of recognised Italian training programmes may remain in Italy and apply for a job-seeker visa.
![Italy Enacts Law 179/2025, Overhauling Work-Visa Procedures and Employer Deadlines]()
Operational impact – Employers will have access to a new online “pre-compilation” portal that opens one month before each click-day, allowing labour consultants to submit draft applications that immigration police can pre-screen for red flags. The National Labour Inspectorate can now carry out audits **before** an application is formally lodged—an attempt to weed out shell companies and labour brokers that clogged the 2024 quota round. For multinationals, the longer procedural windows mean more flexible mobilisation timelines and fewer courier costs when last-minute powers of attorney had to be shipped to Italy.
Compliance focus – Across nearly a dozen articles of the Immigration Consolidated Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998) the new law inserts mandatory verification of the “veridicity of declarations” made by employers, research institutes and volunteer-programme sponsors. Companies will need to keep supporting payroll, revenue and head-count documentation on file, as labour inspectors may ask for it even before a nulla osta is allocated to the annual quota.
Looking ahead – The Interior and Labour ministries have 60 days to publish implementing circulars that translate the statutory changes into the electronic Sportello Unico system. Mobility managers should expect updated application forms, new documentary templates and (potentially) modified quota allocations for the 2026–2028 period. Corporate HR teams are advised to review existing assignment planning to incorporate the new 15-day milestones and ensure that Italian host entities can respond quickly once approvals issue.
Background and key changes – Decree-Law 146/2025 was issued in early October as part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s pledge to simplify legal migration channels and curb irregular arrivals. Parliament has now rubber-stamped and amended the text, giving employers and foreign talent greater legal certainty ahead of the 2026 quota click-days. The final law extends two critical employer windows from 7 to 15 days: (1) confirmation of the nulla osta once issued, and (2) signature of the contratto di soggiorno after the worker’s arrival. It also doubles—from six to twelve months—the period during which graduates of recognised Italian training programmes may remain in Italy and apply for a job-seeker visa.
Operational impact – Employers will have access to a new online “pre-compilation” portal that opens one month before each click-day, allowing labour consultants to submit draft applications that immigration police can pre-screen for red flags. The National Labour Inspectorate can now carry out audits **before** an application is formally lodged—an attempt to weed out shell companies and labour brokers that clogged the 2024 quota round. For multinationals, the longer procedural windows mean more flexible mobilisation timelines and fewer courier costs when last-minute powers of attorney had to be shipped to Italy.
Compliance focus – Across nearly a dozen articles of the Immigration Consolidated Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998) the new law inserts mandatory verification of the “veridicity of declarations” made by employers, research institutes and volunteer-programme sponsors. Companies will need to keep supporting payroll, revenue and head-count documentation on file, as labour inspectors may ask for it even before a nulla osta is allocated to the annual quota.
Looking ahead – The Interior and Labour ministries have 60 days to publish implementing circulars that translate the statutory changes into the electronic Sportello Unico system. Mobility managers should expect updated application forms, new documentary templates and (potentially) modified quota allocations for the 2026–2028 period. Corporate HR teams are advised to review existing assignment planning to incorporate the new 15-day milestones and ensure that Italian host entities can respond quickly once approvals issue.
