Italy’s Council of Ministers has finally published the long-awaited Presidential “Flow Decree” for 2026-2028, increasing legal immigration quotas by 10 % compared with the current three-year cycle. The decree authorises 497,550 new ingresso-lavoro permits split almost evenly across the next three calendar years. Seasonal hiring in agriculture and tourism absorbs 267,000 places, while 230,550 non-seasonal and self-employment visas target construction, logistics, care work and high-tech roles. A further 20,000 “conversion” slots let holders of student, seasonal or humanitarian stay-permits switch to full work status, supporting the government’s pledge to regularise people already in Italy.
Operationally, mobility teams face a tight timeline. The Interior Ministry’s ALI portal shut its pre-filling window at midnight on 7 December, leaving employers barely a month to prepare for four fiercely competitive “click-days” in January and February. Police certificates, labour-market-test evidence and biometric appointments must be lined up now, and companies must ensure they hold SPID or CIE digital credentials to file applications.
![Italy’s 2026-28 ‘Flow Decree’ Opens Nearly Half-Million New Work-Visa Slots]()
Employers scrambling to compile the right paperwork don’t have to go it alone. VisaHQ’s Italy desk (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers end-to-end assistance, from gathering police clearances to scheduling biometric appointments, giving HR teams a single interface for the ALI portal and real-time status tracking.
Politically, the decree walks a tightrope. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition argues that expanding legal pathways undercuts people-smugglers while tackling Italy’s shrinking workforce. Opposition parties counter that the government is quietly boosting immigration quotas even as it talks tough on irregular arrivals. The business lobby is broadly supportive, noting that the decree finally gives multinationals a three-year planning horizon.
For HR directors the implications are immediate: map 2026 head-count needs now, reserve immigration counsel for the January click-days, and budget for higher translation costs and stricter workplace-audit rules. Companies that rely on harvest-season labour in Puglia or resort staff along the Amalfi Coast can pencil in staffing levels three years ahead, but must also prepare for stepped-up inspections on contracts, housing standards and social-security compliance.
Operationally, mobility teams face a tight timeline. The Interior Ministry’s ALI portal shut its pre-filling window at midnight on 7 December, leaving employers barely a month to prepare for four fiercely competitive “click-days” in January and February. Police certificates, labour-market-test evidence and biometric appointments must be lined up now, and companies must ensure they hold SPID or CIE digital credentials to file applications.
Employers scrambling to compile the right paperwork don’t have to go it alone. VisaHQ’s Italy desk (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers end-to-end assistance, from gathering police clearances to scheduling biometric appointments, giving HR teams a single interface for the ALI portal and real-time status tracking.
Politically, the decree walks a tightrope. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition argues that expanding legal pathways undercuts people-smugglers while tackling Italy’s shrinking workforce. Opposition parties counter that the government is quietly boosting immigration quotas even as it talks tough on irregular arrivals. The business lobby is broadly supportive, noting that the decree finally gives multinationals a three-year planning horizon.
For HR directors the implications are immediate: map 2026 head-count needs now, reserve immigration counsel for the January click-days, and budget for higher translation costs and stricter workplace-audit rules. Companies that rely on harvest-season labour in Puglia or resort staff along the Amalfi Coast can pencil in staffing levels three years ahead, but must also prepare for stepped-up inspections on contracts, housing standards and social-security compliance.
