Italy used the state visit of Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi to unveil a targeted labour-migration quota that will allow 10,500 skilled Pakistani nationals to obtain Italian work visas during the 2026 quota year. Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that the places will be carved out of the decreto-flussi system and ring-fenced for sectors suffering acute shortages, including logistics, construction, hospitality and elder care. Pakistani applicants will follow the ordinary nulla osta procedure but will benefit from pre-verified employer lists and batch processing negotiated by the two governments.
![Italy allocates 10,500 work visas to Pakistan in new labour-migration partnership]()
For applicants and employers who want extra assurance as they navigate the nulla osta paperwork, VisaHQ can provide end-to-end assistance: its Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers real-time quota monitoring, tailored document checklists and concierge filing services that help minimise errors and keep applications on track for fast approval.
Officials in Rome stressed that the bilateral channel is designed to undercut irregular migration routes through the Balkans. In exchange, Pakistan has agreed to accelerate readmission of its nationals found to be unlawfully present in Italy and to step-up joint investigations against smuggling networks. The memorandum will also grant visa-free access for holders of Pakistani diplomatic passports once parliamentary ratification is complete. For Italian employers the scheme offers a rare degree of predictability: applications will open on a dedicated click-day in May, and the labour offices (SUI) have committed to issue nulla osta certificates within 30 days, compared with the 90-day statutory limit. Pakistani consulates will in turn run pop-up biometric centres in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to shorten appointment queues. Corporate mobility managers should begin compiling sponsorship documents now. Experience from previous nationality-specific quotas (e.g., Bangladesh 2024) suggests that the electronic quota can be exhausted in minutes. Companies that miss the window will have to wait for the general quota round later in the year, where competition is far higher. Beyond immediate hiring relief, the agreement signals a broader shift towards bilateral talent corridors embedded inside Italy’s regular migration architecture. Observers expect similar accords with Tunisia and the Philippines before the 2027 quota cycle, reflecting the government’s strategy of “legal pathways in exchange for enforcement”.
For applicants and employers who want extra assurance as they navigate the nulla osta paperwork, VisaHQ can provide end-to-end assistance: its Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers real-time quota monitoring, tailored document checklists and concierge filing services that help minimise errors and keep applications on track for fast approval.
Officials in Rome stressed that the bilateral channel is designed to undercut irregular migration routes through the Balkans. In exchange, Pakistan has agreed to accelerate readmission of its nationals found to be unlawfully present in Italy and to step-up joint investigations against smuggling networks. The memorandum will also grant visa-free access for holders of Pakistani diplomatic passports once parliamentary ratification is complete. For Italian employers the scheme offers a rare degree of predictability: applications will open on a dedicated click-day in May, and the labour offices (SUI) have committed to issue nulla osta certificates within 30 days, compared with the 90-day statutory limit. Pakistani consulates will in turn run pop-up biometric centres in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to shorten appointment queues. Corporate mobility managers should begin compiling sponsorship documents now. Experience from previous nationality-specific quotas (e.g., Bangladesh 2024) suggests that the electronic quota can be exhausted in minutes. Companies that miss the window will have to wait for the general quota round later in the year, where competition is far higher. Beyond immediate hiring relief, the agreement signals a broader shift towards bilateral talent corridors embedded inside Italy’s regular migration architecture. Observers expect similar accords with Tunisia and the Philippines before the 2027 quota cycle, reflecting the government’s strategy of “legal pathways in exchange for enforcement”.
