The Meloni government confirmed on 12 January that Italians will vote on a constitutional reform separating the careers of judges and prosecutors on 22-23 March.citeturn7view0
Supporters argue the overhaul will curb politicised prosecutions and accelerate decisions in economic and immigration cases by clarifying jurisdictional responsibilities. Critics—including magistrates’ unions and centre-left parties—see a power grab that could hamper investigations into migrant-detention conditions and asylum-fraud networks.
If approved, the reform will split the Superior Council of the Judiciary into two bodies chosen partly by lottery, and ban career-switching, a change expected to reduce transfers into overloaded immigration benches. Legal analysts predict an initial slowdown as new appointment rules take effect, followed by faster case-processing once specialised career paths mature.
![Referendum on justice reform set for 22-23 March; immigration courts could feel impact]()
Amid this shifting legal landscape, organisations and travellers can streamline visa and residence-permit planning through VisaHQ’s Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), which tracks regulatory updates in real time and offers end-to-end application support—an asset if new court procedures temporarily slow permit appeals.
For multinational companies, the referendum introduces uncertainty around timelines for challenging work-permit refusals or labour-law fines. Firms with active litigation may wish to accelerate hearings before structural changes take hold. HR teams should follow the campaign closely; a “No” vote could weaken the current coalition and stall parallel migration-law initiatives.
Polling remains tight, and the government has ruled out early elections if defeated, but business-lobby groups worry that prolonged political wrangling could delay secondary legislation needed to implement the 2026 Flow Decree and EU Blue-Card digitisation.
Supporters argue the overhaul will curb politicised prosecutions and accelerate decisions in economic and immigration cases by clarifying jurisdictional responsibilities. Critics—including magistrates’ unions and centre-left parties—see a power grab that could hamper investigations into migrant-detention conditions and asylum-fraud networks.
If approved, the reform will split the Superior Council of the Judiciary into two bodies chosen partly by lottery, and ban career-switching, a change expected to reduce transfers into overloaded immigration benches. Legal analysts predict an initial slowdown as new appointment rules take effect, followed by faster case-processing once specialised career paths mature.
Amid this shifting legal landscape, organisations and travellers can streamline visa and residence-permit planning through VisaHQ’s Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), which tracks regulatory updates in real time and offers end-to-end application support—an asset if new court procedures temporarily slow permit appeals.
For multinational companies, the referendum introduces uncertainty around timelines for challenging work-permit refusals or labour-law fines. Firms with active litigation may wish to accelerate hearings before structural changes take hold. HR teams should follow the campaign closely; a “No” vote could weaken the current coalition and stall parallel migration-law initiatives.
Polling remains tight, and the government has ruled out early elections if defeated, but business-lobby groups worry that prolonged political wrangling could delay secondary legislation needed to implement the 2026 Flow Decree and EU Blue-Card digitisation.
