Italy’s Ministry of Labour has formally distributed 43,300 non-seasonal work-permit places for 2026, activating the next stage of the country’s three-year immigration plan (the so-called Decreto Flussi 2026-2028). The quotas, confirmed in Director’s Note No. 531 of 16 February and published on 19 February, cover subordinate employment in manufacturing, logistics, construction, hospitality and domestic care. Twenty-five thousand permits are reserved for workers from 40 partner countries such as Albania, Morocco, India and the Philippines, while a further 18,000 slots are held for countries that sign new migration-co-operation agreements during the year. Three hundred places are earmarked for stateless persons and UN-recognised refugees. (ecnews.it)
Applications must be filed electronically through the ALI portal in a one-day “click-day” on 16 February. Employers had to pre-populate applications by 7 December and will need SPID or CIE digital identity credentials to transmit final submissions. The quotas will be released province by province; unused allocations may be re-distributed after 50 days.
Employers and applicants looking for extra support during this hectic window can enlist the help of VisaHQ. Through its dedicated Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), VisaHQ offers document verification, appointment scheduling and real-time status tracking, smoothing out the consular stage of the process and reducing the risk of costly rejections.
![Italy allocates 43,300 non-seasonal work permits under 2026 migration quota program]()
For multinational companies, the release offers a narrow but valuable channel to regularise blue-collar or mid-skilled talent in Italy. Demand traditionally outstrips supply several-fold, so HR teams should verify that salary levels meet provincial collective-bargaining thresholds and be ready to upload fully executed job contracts in PDF/A format. Experience shows that incomplete documentation triggers automatic rejection.
Once the Nulla Osta (work authorisation) is granted, workers abroad have six months to apply for an entry visa at the Italian consulate and must request a residence permit within eight days of arrival. Processing times vary widely by province—between two and six months—so employers should factor potential delays into project timelines. Trade associations continue to lobby for a move from annual lotteries to rolling, demand-driven quotas, but for 2026 the lottery system remains in force. (ilfoglio.it)
Companies that miss out can explore alternative routes such as the EU Blue Card for highly qualified staff, intra-company transfer permits under Article 27-quinquies, or the recently operational Digital Nomad visa for remote employees. Each carries different salary, education and social-security requirements, so a permit-mix strategy is advisable.
Applications must be filed electronically through the ALI portal in a one-day “click-day” on 16 February. Employers had to pre-populate applications by 7 December and will need SPID or CIE digital identity credentials to transmit final submissions. The quotas will be released province by province; unused allocations may be re-distributed after 50 days.
Employers and applicants looking for extra support during this hectic window can enlist the help of VisaHQ. Through its dedicated Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), VisaHQ offers document verification, appointment scheduling and real-time status tracking, smoothing out the consular stage of the process and reducing the risk of costly rejections.
For multinational companies, the release offers a narrow but valuable channel to regularise blue-collar or mid-skilled talent in Italy. Demand traditionally outstrips supply several-fold, so HR teams should verify that salary levels meet provincial collective-bargaining thresholds and be ready to upload fully executed job contracts in PDF/A format. Experience shows that incomplete documentation triggers automatic rejection.
Once the Nulla Osta (work authorisation) is granted, workers abroad have six months to apply for an entry visa at the Italian consulate and must request a residence permit within eight days of arrival. Processing times vary widely by province—between two and six months—so employers should factor potential delays into project timelines. Trade associations continue to lobby for a move from annual lotteries to rolling, demand-driven quotas, but for 2026 the lottery system remains in force. (ilfoglio.it)
Companies that miss out can explore alternative routes such as the EU Blue Card for highly qualified staff, intra-company transfer permits under Article 27-quinquies, or the recently operational Digital Nomad visa for remote employees. Each carries different salary, education and social-security requirements, so a permit-mix strategy is advisable.
