Eurostat’s latest monthly bulletin, released on 15 January 2026, confirms a structural cooling in irregular migration pressures across the European Union. In October 2025—the most recent month for which consolidated data exist—62,010 people lodged a first-time application for asylum in an EU-27 country. That represents a 28 percent fall versus October 2024 and consolidates a downward curve that began in spring 2025.
Italy nevertheless remains near the top of the destination league. With 12,650 first-time applicants in October, it absorbed roughly one fifth of total EU demand and trailed only Spain by a narrow margin. The four largest recipient countries—Spain, Italy, France and Germany—together processed 74 percent of all new claims.
Eurostat attributes the reversal to a mix of factors: stricter external-border controls on the Balkan and Central Mediterranean routes; expanded use of accelerated procedures at EU entry points; and a relative lull in large-scale displacement crises after the peak of 2023-24. Venezuelans (8,140) formed the biggest cohort of applicants, ahead of Afghans, Bangladeshis and Syrians.
![EU data show sharp drop in asylum claims, but Italy still second-largest recipient]()
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ can simplify the process of obtaining Italian visas and work permits. Through its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), the service offers real-time entry-rule intelligence, tailored document checklists and end-to-end application handling for business travelers, contractors and relocating staff—helping employers stay compliant even as regulations evolve.
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the softer numbers may ease pressure on Italy’s reception network just as the country gears up for the Universal Jubilee in Rome and the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. Fewer emergency arrivals could free administrative bandwidth for work-permit processing under the 2026-28 Flow Decree—good news for employers dependent on non-EU talent.
HR and travel managers should nonetheless keep contingency plans in place. Eurostat notes that unaccompanied-minor cases (1,710 in October) remain elevated, a reminder that migration patterns can pivot quickly with geopolitical shocks. Companies relocating staff to or through Italy should monitor border-control measures—still temporarily re-introduced on the Slovenian frontier—and budget extra lead-time for entry formalities.
Italy nevertheless remains near the top of the destination league. With 12,650 first-time applicants in October, it absorbed roughly one fifth of total EU demand and trailed only Spain by a narrow margin. The four largest recipient countries—Spain, Italy, France and Germany—together processed 74 percent of all new claims.
Eurostat attributes the reversal to a mix of factors: stricter external-border controls on the Balkan and Central Mediterranean routes; expanded use of accelerated procedures at EU entry points; and a relative lull in large-scale displacement crises after the peak of 2023-24. Venezuelans (8,140) formed the biggest cohort of applicants, ahead of Afghans, Bangladeshis and Syrians.
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ can simplify the process of obtaining Italian visas and work permits. Through its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), the service offers real-time entry-rule intelligence, tailored document checklists and end-to-end application handling for business travelers, contractors and relocating staff—helping employers stay compliant even as regulations evolve.
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the softer numbers may ease pressure on Italy’s reception network just as the country gears up for the Universal Jubilee in Rome and the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. Fewer emergency arrivals could free administrative bandwidth for work-permit processing under the 2026-28 Flow Decree—good news for employers dependent on non-EU talent.
HR and travel managers should nonetheless keep contingency plans in place. Eurostat notes that unaccompanied-minor cases (1,710 in October) remain elevated, a reminder that migration patterns can pivot quickly with geopolitical shocks. Companies relocating staff to or through Italy should monitor border-control measures—still temporarily re-introduced on the Slovenian frontier—and budget extra lead-time for entry formalities.
