Barely 24 hours after Parliament passed the Security Decree, the Council of Ministers rushed through a corrective Decree-Law 55/2026 that rewrites the most contentious provision on Assisted Voluntary Return (RVA). The original text, inserted by Senate amendment, promised a €615 success-fee to lawyers—but only once the migrant had physically left Italy. President Mattarella signed the main law but flagged constitutional concerns; the Cabinet’s new decree removes the lawyer-only monopoly, links payment to completion of the administrative process (not the traveller’s departure) and deletes any reference to the National Bar Council.
Why it matters: Italian consulates worldwide use RVA as a humanitarian alternative to forced removal, commonly for workers whose residence permits have lapsed.
![Government issues emergency Decree-Law 55/2026 to fix controversial Assisted Voluntary Return incentive]()
Companies and individuals looking for reliable immigration guidance can streamline their Italian paperwork by turning to VisaHQ. The service’s Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) supplies up-to-date visa information, document checklists and expert support—useful both for Assisted Voluntary Return cases and for broader mobility planning.
By broadening who can assist—consultants, NGOs and social-co-ops now qualify—and by guaranteeing fees earlier, the government hopes to speed up applications while avoiding accusations that lawyers are being rewarded for encouraging departures. For global-mobility teams the change is double-edged. On the one hand, employees who decide to return home voluntarily—perhaps after redundancy—should find more counselling options and quicker decisions. On the other, the decree signals that Rome expects higher take-up of RVA; companies that sponsor permits must therefore document the reasons when they prefer to pursue status-regularisation instead. Failure to do so could invite scrutiny under the tightened “abuse of procedure” clauses in Law 54/2026.
Next steps: Decree 55/2026 took effect on 25 April and must be converted into law within 60 days. Mobility advisers should monitor the implementing Interior-Ministry decree, which will set the criteria for accredited representatives and payment schedules.
Why it matters: Italian consulates worldwide use RVA as a humanitarian alternative to forced removal, commonly for workers whose residence permits have lapsed.
Companies and individuals looking for reliable immigration guidance can streamline their Italian paperwork by turning to VisaHQ. The service’s Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) supplies up-to-date visa information, document checklists and expert support—useful both for Assisted Voluntary Return cases and for broader mobility planning.
By broadening who can assist—consultants, NGOs and social-co-ops now qualify—and by guaranteeing fees earlier, the government hopes to speed up applications while avoiding accusations that lawyers are being rewarded for encouraging departures. For global-mobility teams the change is double-edged. On the one hand, employees who decide to return home voluntarily—perhaps after redundancy—should find more counselling options and quicker decisions. On the other, the decree signals that Rome expects higher take-up of RVA; companies that sponsor permits must therefore document the reasons when they prefer to pursue status-regularisation instead. Failure to do so could invite scrutiny under the tightened “abuse of procedure” clauses in Law 54/2026.
Next steps: Decree 55/2026 took effect on 25 April and must be converted into law within 60 days. Mobility advisers should monitor the implementing Interior-Ministry decree, which will set the criteria for accredited representatives and payment schedules.
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